Recorded presentation

Jana Sczersputowski, BA, Educational Message Services, Inc., 2300 Alessandro Drive, Suite 100, Ventura, CA 93001, 805.653.6000, jana@emsmail.org and Mitchell A. Zahn, HIV Prevention Program, Oregon Department of Human Services, 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 1105, Portland, OR 97232.

The state-wide social marketing campaign, Test Because You Matter, was implemented to increase public sector HIV Testing in groups at highest risk: MSM, IDU, sex and needle sharing partners of HIV-infected individuals with emphasis on communities of color.

A formative research process assisted the development of a culturally-relevant campaign that considered behavior-impacting factors in each priority population’s social environment. Program materials include printed messages, brochures, wallet cards, posters, educational videos, and outdoor media components. The campaign utilized a narrowcast methodology, whereby health messages were placed in “public private spaces” (restrooms) within venues frequented by priority populations. This placement allowed the materials to become part of the social environment, reinforcing messages about HIV testing on a regular basis and allowing at-risk individuals to absorb the information in private.

A follow-up self-administered survey conducted among 331 persons (14% IDU, 23% MSM, 35% women, 54% non-white) showed a large proportion (47.7%) of survey participants had seen campaign components; 30% identified over 8 campaign aspects. Process data, tracked over 5-months, showed distribution of 33,000 brochures and 44 individuals referenced program materials when testing at sites listed on materials. Following implementation calls to the state AIDS hotline increased 20% for the first two months. Key to campaign success was the involvement of at-risk groups and agencies serving them, in materials development and program strategies, ensuring authenticity and usefulness of materials to community agencies.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize that effective HIV testing programs recognize the importance of the social environment as an important determinant for health behavior decisions, and that effective programs need to focus on external and internal determinants in a person’s environment to influence the decision to get tested for HIV.
• Gain insight into narrowcast social marketing strategies that impact individuals’ social environment and understand the importance of integrating research and internal and external social determents into the design of the program strategy and materials.
• Learn about the planning, implementation and evaluation of such effective school-based education and prevention programs.

Keywords: Public Health Education and Health Promotion, Social Marketing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Educational Message Services was subcontracted to by the Oregon Department of Human Services, HIV/STD/TB Section in respect to the development and implementation of social marketing components.

Recorded presentation