Billions of dollars have been devoted to HIV/AIDS prevention programs in South Africa with little discernable impact. By synthesizing the tools of rhetorical criticism and health communication, this article explores how one such program, loveLifes Talk About It billboard campaign, illuminates pressing health communication challenges in the twenty-first century. In an attempt to stem the increase of HIV infections in South Africa, loveLife launched the Talk About It campaign to promote healthy, HIV-free living among South African youth. Due to the lack of impact, much of the programs funding was quickly withdrawn. A close analysis of the Talk About It campaign offers a set of politically urgent and theoretically useful findings for communication scholars and practitioners alike; including the utility of the Health Belief Model as a campaign frame, the significant role of self-efficacy in health behavior change, and a call to creatively consider cultural nuances during health message design.
Key words: Sexuality, Gender, HIV/AIDS, South Africa, Health Campaigns
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