NCJ Number
113336
Journal
Health Education Quarterly Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1986) Pages: 301-316
Date Published
1986
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Analysis of two completed studies and preliminary data from a third study document dramatic changes in behavior, knowledge, and attitudes among inner-city public health patients at high risk for a variety of sexually transmitted diseases.
Abstract
Objectives of the first study were to increase the number of male gonorrhea patients willing to return for a test-of-cure examination and to motivate more male patients to refer all their sex partners for treatment. The second study aimed to facilitate compliance with the prescribed medical regimen for tetracycline, which is now being used more often due to public health concern about chlamydia. The third study, which is ongoing, encourages high-risk men to use condoms and encourages women to be assertive in requesting that their sex partners do so. The evaluation found that soap-opera style dramas presented via video tape to the target groups and couched in their language, images, and strategies was effective in producing positive behavioral, attitudinal, and cognitive outcomes. Drama-based methods are especially relevant to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) risk-reduction efforts, because they model the communication and interpersonal skills fundamental to the behavioral changes sought. Findings also indicate that social marketing holds promise as an AIDS risk-reduction strategy and is particularly suited for promoting the use of condoms. 60 references.