AEGiS-07IAC: Using AIDS hotlines to develop and evaluate AIDS communication campaigns: a four-country research report.

7th International AIDS Conference

Florence, Italy — June 16-21, 1991

Using AIDS hotlines to develop and evaluate AIDS communication campaigns: a four-country research report.

Int Conf AIDS 1991 Jun 16-21; 7:456 (abstract no. W.D.4272)
Jimerson A, Abejuela W, Weller P, Sevilla R, Hernandez E, Figueroa JP; AIDSCOM/Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC, USA

OBJECTIVE: To illustrate how data collected through telephone hotlines can be used to develop and evaluate AIDS prevention communication campaigns.

METHODS: Data sets and programs from Jamaica, the Philippines, Peru, and Brazil were reviewed. In each country, data were gathered from individuals who called a local hotline, to seek AIDS information or counseling. Operators sought to determine reasons for calling; questions or concerns; source of the hotline number; and/or media channels/materials for HIV/AIDS information.

RESULTS: Examples from these four countries demonstrate that data collected through a telephone hotline can be used to develop an effective AIDS prevention communication campaign and/or to evaluate the campaign's reach and impact. The Philippines example illustrates how hotline data verified that the "general population" national AIDS media campaign reached the intended secondary audience of young men, and helped to establish that group as a primary target audience for the next campaign. The Brazilian example demonstrates how a gay-operated hotline collected data about the concerns of its callers, and used those data together with qualitative research to develop messages and themes for educational and promotional materials. In Peru, surges in the number of hotline calls reflected promotional efforts and project coverage in the mass media. Jamaican data reveal the reach and impact of a national mass media campaign, and the degree of public comprehension of media messages.

CONCLUSIONS: This review demonstrates not only that telephone hotlines can be established and maintained to meet HIV/AIDS information and counseling needs in developing countries, but also that hotlines are useful research tools for developing, monitoring and evaluating broader-scale AIDS prevention communication activities.

Keywords: AEGIS, Hotlines, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Communication, Mass Media, Homosexuality, Male, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Advertising, Counseling, Health Services Needs and Demand, Telephone, Peru, Brazil, Philippines, Jamaica, Human, Male, utilization, organization & administration, ICA7
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