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

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.