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Peer-reviewedCC BYHealth promotion international

Leveraging social media for youth engagement in HIV prevention: evaluation of the Y-FIT GH open-call campaign in Ghana.

  • Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong1,2,3
  • Senam Aku Biddah3,4
  • Maame Araba Oduro3
  • Abass Tando Abubakar3,5
  • Yaa Adutwumwaa Obeng3,6
  • Dorcas Adom3,7
  • Winfred Kofi Mensah3,8
  • Brian Ankrah3,9
  • Daniel Selase Anyidoho3,10
  • Paul Sowah11
  • Ernest Ortsin12
  • Stephen Ayisi-Addo13
3 more authors
  • Caroline Kingori14
  • Juliet Iwelunmor15
  • Y-FIT GH Study Team
15 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Professions, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, United States.
  2. 2Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
  3. 3The Thrive Lab at the University at Buffalo, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, New York, NY, United States.
  4. 4Department of Communication, Ensign College, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.
  5. 5Department of Medical Statistics, Hawa Memorial Saviour Hospital, Osiem Akim-Abuakwa, Ghana.
  6. 6Department of Health Information, St Patrick's Catholics Hospital, Offinso, Ghana.
  7. 7Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences and Policy, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, School of Public Health, New Orleans, LA, United States.
  8. 8Department of Laboratory Services, Hawa Memorial Saviour Hospital, Osiem Akim-Abuakwa, Ghana.
  9. 9Department of Health Information, St Michael's Catholic Hospital, Pramso, Ghana.
  10. 10Department of Health Services, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.
  11. 11West Africa AIDS Foundation (WAAF), Accra, Ghana.
  12. 12Ghana HIV & AIDS Network, Accra, Ghana.
  13. 13Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
  14. 14Office of the Provost, Hampton University, Hampton, VA, United States.
  15. 15Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, United States.
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Abstract

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) in Ghana continue to experience barriers to HIV prevention, including stigma, limited awareness of HIV self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and insufficient access to AYA-friendly prevention services. This descriptive process evaluation examined how a 2-month, multi-platform communication strategy supported participation in the Youth-Friendly Innovation Tools for HIV Prevention in Ghana national open call for creative HIV self-testing and oral and long-acting PrEP advocacy ideas. The strategy combined paid Facebook advertising, LinkedIn dissemination, and peer-to-peer WhatsApp sharing. Data included platform analytics, dissemination records, application data, and participant-reported awareness sources. Facebook recorded 55 437 impressions and an estimated reach of 48 596 users; LinkedIn generated 650 impressions, 209 engagements, and 171 link clicks. WhatsApp was the dominant self-reported awareness pathway, although individual-level WhatsApp reach, engagement, and conversion could not be measured. A total of 103 eligible AYA submitted written, visual, and audio-visual entries. The findings indicate that organizers can combine broad-reach promotion with peer and institutional networks, mobile-first materials, multiple submission formats, and prospective source tracking. Because exposures overlapped and channel metrics were not equivalent, the study does not establish causal platform superiority. Multi-channel communication can support participatory HIV prevention while requiring offline and assisted options for AYA with limited digital access.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{aidoofrimpong2026leveraging,
  title = {{Leveraging social media for youth engagement in HIV prevention: evaluation of the Y-FIT GH open-call campaign in Ghana.}},
  author = {Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong and Senam Aku Biddah and Maame Araba Oduro and Abass Tando Abubakar and Yaa Adutwumwaa Obeng and Dorcas Adom and Winfred Kofi Mensah and Brian Ankrah and Daniel Selase Anyidoho and Paul Sowah and Ernest Ortsin and Stephen Ayisi-Addo and Caroline Kingori and Juliet Iwelunmor and Y-FIT GH Study Team},
  journal = {Health promotion international},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1093/heapro/daag154},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908420},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Leveraging social media for youth engagement in HIV prevention: evaluation of the Y-FIT GH open-call campaign in Ghana.
AU  - Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong
AU  - Senam Aku Biddah
AU  - Maame Araba Oduro
AU  - Abass Tando Abubakar
AU  - Yaa Adutwumwaa Obeng
AU  - Dorcas Adom
AU  - Winfred Kofi Mensah
AU  - Brian Ankrah
AU  - Daniel Selase Anyidoho
AU  - Paul Sowah
AU  - Ernest Ortsin
AU  - Stephen Ayisi-Addo
AU  - Caroline Kingori
AU  - Juliet Iwelunmor
AU  - Y-FIT GH Study Team
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/01
JO  - Health promotion international
DO  - 10.1093/heapro/daag154
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908420
AB  - Adolescents and young adults (AYA) in Ghana continue to experience barriers to HIV prevention, including stigma, limited awareness of HIV self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and insufficient access to AYA-friendly prevention services. This descriptive process evaluation examined how a 2-month, multi-platform communication strategy supported participation in the Youth-Friendly Innovation Tools for HIV Prevention in Ghana national open call for creative HIV self-testing and oral and long-acting PrEP advocacy ideas. The strategy combined paid Facebook advertising, LinkedIn dissemination, and peer-to-peer WhatsApp sharing. Data included platform analytics, dissemination records, application data, and participant-reported awareness sources. Facebook recorded 55 437 impressions and an estimated reach of 48 596 users; LinkedIn generated 650 impressions, 209 engagements, and 171 link clicks. WhatsApp was the dominant self-reported awareness pathway, although individual-level WhatsApp reach, engagement, and conversion could not be measured. A total of 103 eligible AYA submitted written, visual, and audio-visual entries. The findings indicate that organizers can combine broad-reach promotion with peer and institutional networks, mobile-first materials, multiple submission formats, and prospective source tracking. Because exposures overlapped and channel metrics were not equivalent, the study does not establish causal platform superiority. Multi-channel communication can support participatory HIV prevention while requiring offline and assisted options for AYA with limited digital access.
SN  - 0957-4824
SN  - 1460-2245
ER  -