Trusting practitioners and trusting partners: a test to determine whether HIV prevention in Namibia is as easy as saying the ABCs

Abstract

To reduce the 15% HIV prevalence rate in Namibia, public health officials have advised people to: (1) adopt the ABCs (Abstain, Be faithful, use a Condom); (2) use information-seeking strategies to determine their partner's sexual history. Whether Namibians understand the ABC campaign or know how to determine a safe partner is largely unknown. To address this concern, data were collected from young adults (16–25 years, n = 400) via open- and closed-question formats. The main reason reported for not using a condom was ‘I trust my partner.’ The majority: (1) did not believe observational tactics were a good means to assess a safe partner; (2) believed they talked sufficiently with their partners about AIDS; (3) did not believe that partners were completely honest about their sexual history, although most (82%) wore condoms. The majority (51.8%) of participants did not understand the concepts of monogamy (51.8%) or ‘being faithful’ (68%). Assessment of the target population's understanding of public health terminology should precede implementation of HIV prevention programs using the ABCs.