Impact evaluation of an HIV screen educational advertisement

An advertisement explicitly depicting behaviours associated with transmission of HIV was developed with the aim of reminding people of the continued threat posed by the virus to health. Evaluation of the advertisement was carried out to assess its impact on the target group of people, those aged 18‐36 years. An international film festival provided the opportunity for the advertisement to be screened and an exit poll was carried out with a randomly selected 11 per cent sub‐sample of the total audience of 2,045. The results indicate that the advertisement reached and was assimilated by the target audience. Some differences were found based on socio‐demographic variables, with women finding the portrayals in the advertisement more realistic than men. All audience reactions were positive with support expressed for wider dissemination of the advertisement. The advertisement has subsequently been released nationally through cinemas.