An investigation into the awareness and utilization of HIV/AIDS information resources and services of the National Aids Council of Zambia.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a retrovirus that attacks the immune system results in a continuous immunodeficiency that predisposes the infected to opportunistic infections, came to the fore in 1981. In the absence of a potent antiretroviral treatment, immunodeficiency is often in due course fatal in nearly all cases. This is because it would have reached the advanced stage described as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This study aimed at investigating the awareness and utilisation of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) resources and services offered at the National AIDS Council (NAC), using a case study research design and collecting data from a sample of 10 health organisations in Lusaka who have membership representation on the National Health Promotion Technical Working Groups of the National Aids Council. At each health organization, nine (9) questionnaires were administered, and 1 key informant was interviewed using an interview guide. The study’s overall objective was to investigate the awareness and utilisation of HIV/AIDS information resources and services offered by the National AIDS Council. Following this, the specific objectives were to: find out the awareness of HIV/AIDS information resources available at NAC; discover utilisation of HIV/AIDS information resources available at the National AIDS Council; and ascertain utilisation of HIV/AIDS services available at the National AIDS Council. The study revealed that all the respondents (all key informants and 82% of questionnaire enumerated respondents) were aware of the HIV/AIDS information resources available at the National AIDS Council which they preferred to access in digital format as they could access the information remotely, the majority of the 52 (67%) respondents were of the view that the HIV/AIDS information in the library was accessible which they frequently made use of and, the majority of the 39 (50%) respondents were of the view that they were given ample time to utilise the HIV/AIDS services at the National AIDS Council. Some of the challenges the study revealed include less digital and local content materials, access challenges to materials and less sensitization among others. The study recommends that National AIDS Council should collect more IEC materials in digital format, National AIDS Council should ensure that its internet connectivity is improved to ensure that it is efficient to facilitate accessibility to the IEC materials without challenges to users, National AIDS Council should ensure that they collect the latest IEC materials, and that the IEC materials should include local content as much as is possible, and National AIDS Council should ensure that more sensitization is done to the general public on IEC materials so
that more people can utilise the resources.