Online Program

280455
Evaluation of the acceptance journeys campaign: Results from a rolling cross sectional evaluation with 3 comparison groups


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Shawnika J. Hull, PhD, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Anneke Mohr, MPH, MSW, Population Health Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Mari Gasiorowicz, M.A., AIDS/HIV Program, Wisconsin Division of Public Health, Madison, WI
Gary Hollander, PhD, Diverse and Resilient, Inc., Milwaukee, WI
William L. Jeffries IV, PhD MPH MA, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Nearly one in three Black men who have sex with men in Wisconsin is HIV positive, a rate more than 100 times greater than the adult population as a whole. Homophobia is a prominent pathway through which MSM experience heightened HIV risk. We address this disparity through an academic-community-government partnership. This team utilized a scientifically driven approach to understanding the beliefs underlying homophobia and developing a social marketing campaign to address perceptions related to homophobia. Ultimately, the campaign aimed to increase acceptance, thereby reducing HIV/AIDS risk among young MSM of color in Milwaukee County. To date, Acceptance Journeys messages have been placed in numerous locations around the treatment city and have achieved millions of impressions. This paper presents the initial evaluation report. Data for this rolling cross sectional survey were collected using Qualtrics online survey sampling. The baseline survey of attitudes and beliefs ran from December 2011- January, 2012. The second survey ran in July-August, 2012. Participants were adults, ages 30+. The baseline survey sample included participants(N = 1,144) from the treatment city and two comparison cities. The follow-up survey included (N = 540) responses from the treatment city, and 3 comparison cities (the original 2 and 1 new city). At baseline the cities were not significantly different from one another on the demographic or outcome measures, which provides increased confidence in the appropriateness of the comparison cities. At follow-up, 17.4% of survey respondents in Milwaukee self-reported exposure to the campaign- significantly more than 2 of the 3 comparison cities.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe two pathways through which the Acceptance Journeys campaign might influence attitudes and perceptions of LGBT people in Milwaukee, WI. Describe the logic of evaluation design. Discuss evidence of Acceptance Journeys campaign effects.

Keyword(s): Social Marketing, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a co-principle or co-investigator of multiple internally and externally funded competitive grants focusing on the use of mass communication to reduce HIV/AIDS disparities. I am the primary researcher on the Acceptance Journeys team. In that role, I managed the design, implementation and analysis of the evaluation.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.