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  • Title: The impact of the "grim reaper" national AIDS educational campaign on the Albion Street (AIDS) Centre and the AIDS Hotline.
    Author: Morlet A, Guinan JJ, Diefenthaler I, Gold J.
    Journal: Med J Aust; 1988 Mar 21; 148(6):282-6. PubMed ID: 3347182.
    Abstract:
    The national educational programme on the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) caused a dramatic increase in the number of heterosexual persons who presented for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody testing at the Albion Street (AIDS) Centre. There was also a marked increase in the number of intravenous drugs abusers who presented, although the proportion of this high-risk group that has been tested remains low. There was no increase in the number of homosexual men who presented for testing. The increase in the number of telephone calls that were received by the Centre's AIDS Hotline was due to an interest in HIV-antibody testing, rather than an interest in information about safer sexual practices. The campaign was seen to have achieved its primary objective, namely, to alert sexually-active persons of the potential spread of the virus from the high-risk groups. However, it is clear that future educational campaigns need to target specific high-risk groups such as intravenous drug abusers. The National Advisory Commission on AIDS (NACAIDS) launched a national educational program in April 1987 to educate the community about AIDS risk factors; it also initiated a market research study to determine the level of knowledge about AIDS. Data were also collected from random samples of the population and from clients of the Albion Street (AIDS) Centre in Sydney, including those who called the AIDS Hotline at the Centre. The educational campaign took the form of a television commercial featuring the "Grim Reaper" bowling over human "pins" in a bowling alley and was followed by large-format advertisements in newspapers. The market research survey showed that, although knowledge of the risk of AIDS among homosexuals and intravenous (IV) drug users was high, 36% of the respondents thought AIDS could be transmitted through casual contact, and there was a converse tendency to regard AIDS as a high risk only among homosexuals and IV drug users. The AIDS Hotline received 327% more calls during the 1st month of the campaign than in the 7 months preceding it. The number of female callers more than doubled, as did the number of callers requesting information about antibody testing. Clinic attendance also doubled, mainly due to a 127% increase in women and a 154% increase in the number of heterosexual men requesting antibody testing. The number of IV drug users and blood recipients also increased significantly. Between March 1985 and June 1987, 3556 heterosexual persons came to the Centre for HIV-antibody testing; 34 were seropositive, of whom only 6 belonged to high-risk groups. In summary, the AIDS educational campaign seems to have raised the anxiety level among low risk heterosexual persons, especially women.
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