PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - J D Ross
AU  - G R Scott
TI  - The association between HIV media campaigns and number of patients coming forward for HIV antibody testing.
AID  - 10.1136/sti.69.3.193
DP  - 1993 Jun 01
TA  - Genitourinary Medicine
PG  - 193--195
VI  - 69
IP  - 3
4099  - http://sti.bmj.com/content/69/3/193.short
4100  - http://sti.bmj.com/content/69/3/193.full
SO  - Genitourin Med1993 Jun 01; 69
AB  - AIM--To assess the relationship between national and local media campaigns with respect to the number of patients requesting HIV antibody tests as a surrogate marker of the effectiveness of different campaign strategies. METHODS--Analysis by month of the numbers of HIV tests performed in the regional genitourinary (GUM) clinic for Lothian over a 5 year period and in the whole of Lothian Region, Scotland over a 3 year period. Changes in testing rates were monitored with respect to media campaigns over the same time period. RESULTS--Television based media campaigns produced the greatest increase in testing rates (average 46% increase over 2 months) compared with newspapers and poster campaigns (average 6% increase over 2 months). Regional HIV testing rates correlated significantly with GUM clinic testing rates. No increase in positive HIV tests was seen following media campaigns. CONCLUSIONS--Using HIV testing rates as a surrogate marker, television based media campaigns appear to be the most effective way of increasing awareness of HIV. The effect of media campaigns is short-lived indicating a need for constant reminder of the dangers of HIV infection. The increase in HIV testing occurs largely in the "worried well" with few additional HIV positive patients being identified.