2007 and 2004

The following is excerpted from 2 evaluation reports published by the Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (CADRE); one was published in May 2004, and the other published in July 2007.

Tsha Tsha is an educational-entertainment television drama series that was commissioned by the South African Broadcast Corporation (SABC) in 2001. The drama series was produced by CADRE and Curious Pictures with additional support provided by Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa (JHHESA) and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Centre for Communications Programs. Funding support is provided through the President's Emergency Relief Plan for Africa (PEPFAR) via the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Specifically, Tsha Tsha is a South African production about young adults living in a world of HIV/AIDS. The drama series is set in a rural town in the Eastern Cape of South Africa and is produced in the local language, Xhosa, with English subtitles. The series focuses on the lives of several young people, and explores love, sex, and relationships in a world affected by the realities of the pandemic. The intended audience was South African youth aged 18-24 (series 1, 2, 3); the intended audience was expanded to 18-35 for series 4. The series aims to enhance its young adult viewers' capacity to reflect on their own problems, engage in developing solutions, and become active agents in shaping their future. (Click here to learn more about the series.)

The series comprises 78 episodes (4 series) broadcast during primetime television between 2003 and 2006. The May 2004 evaluation of the first 26 episodes of the TV drama series indicated that viewers had improved/changed knowledge about HIV/AIDS and had positive changes in relation to attitudes and behaviours towards people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

The Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (CADRE), with technical support provided by Health Communication Partnership (HCP) researchers, evaluated audience responses to the first 26 episodes of the television drama Tsha Tsha based on data collected between April 2003 and May 2004. The quantitative component of the study involved a three-wave panel study. Researchers used systematic and random sampling methods in metropolitan, small town, and rural areas to identify respondents for the panel study. The respondent panel comprised a base of 960 respondents aged 16-26, and research was conducted in waves after episodes 4, 13, and 26, respectively. To estimate the overall impact of 26 episodes of the drama, data from the first and third waves were used in the statistical analysis.

Researchers used propensity score matching to analyse the responses to the series by creating a matched control group to compare against a group that watched the drama. This fulfilled one of the aims of the research: to develop research methodologies for evaluating the effects of mass-media education programmes.


A subsequent evaluation in 2007 provided further information for this impact data.

Evidence from the May 2004 Evaluation: According to national audience rating data provided by the SABC, Tsha Tsha reached an average of 1.8 million viewers each week, at an estimated cost of $.55 per person reached. Recall of the drama content served to measure exposure. The percent of respondents who recalled the programme increased from 57.6% after 13 episodes to 67.6% after 26 episodes.

Evidence from the July 2007 Evaluation: Although produced for youth audiences, the series drew viewers across age and language groups. It received audience share of about 50% for the broadcast timeslot. Approximately 14 million viewers – around half of all South Africans aged 15 years and older - had watched the series, many being regular viewers.

From the May 2004 Evaluation: Viewers indicated that Tsha Tsha provided positive role models for women, as well as positive examples of male-female interaction. They perceived it as creating awareness around parent-child communication issues. A number of participants said they discussed the series during and after broadcast, but noted that the day of broadcast (Friday night) was not ideal because it limited opportunities for discussion at school or work the following day. The day of broadcast was subsequently changed taking viewers' opinions into account.

From the July 2007 Evaluation: Those who had watched Tsha Tsha were 5% more likely to discuss an HIV test with a partner.

The report indicated that knowledge and general awareness about HIV/AIDS increased amongst viewers.

From the May 2004 Evaluation: Viewers of Tsha Tsha were more likely to have positive attitudes about HIV/AIDS-related issues addressed in Tsha Tsha, including less stigma towards people living with HIV/AIDS than the statistically matched control group that were not exposed to the television drama series. Viewers reported an increased sense of responsibility for the well-being of others including enhanced tolerance and empathy for people living with HIV/AIDS.

From the July 2007 Evaluation: Those who had seen Tsha Tsha were 7.9% more likely to have positive attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS. Further, shifts towards positive/empowering values, attitudes, and behaviours were not limited to the context of HIV/AIDS but extended into other areas such as relationships (friendships, parental, sexual), poverty, and social problems such as alcohol and drug abuse, crime, violence, and unemployment.

From the May 2004 Evaluation: Tsha Tsha viewers were more likely to practice HIV preventative behaviours, such as abstaining from sex, being faithful to one partner, having sex less often, using a condom to prevent HIV, or using a condom at last sex. 44% of viewers reported being faithful to their partner, compared to 27% of the control group. 60% of viewers reported having used a condom during their last sex, compared to 51% of the control group. In addition, viewers were more likely to seek voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) to determine their HIV status than non-viewers.

From the July 2007 Evaluation: Among the study's findings was evidence that people who had seen Tsha Tsha were 6.5% more likely to report condom use at last sex, as compared to those who had not seen it; viewers were also 5.5% more likely to help someone who is sick with AIDS.

A Facilitator's Guide was developed for use in non-broadcast environments to facilitate debate and discussion. Tsha Tsha's free education materials have been used as part of an HIV/AIDS communication strategy with diverse groups including: students at higher education institutions and in schools; residents of correctional centres; and members of faith-based organisations (FBOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), and youth groups.

Communication Impact! June 2006 [PDF], accessed on January 17 2008; emails from Helen Hajiyiannis to The Communication Initiative on February 10 2008; and HIV/AIDS: The Creative Challenge: Engaging Culture and Creativity in HIV/AIDS Prevention" [Powerpoint presentation] by Helen Hajiyiannis, July 17-19 2007.