This article examines the proposition that a popular form of entertainment, the telenovela, can educate Spanish-speaking viewers in the United States if accurate health information is presented in a dramatic, narrative format. Health professionals consulted on a breast cancer storyline in a Spanish-language telenovela, Ladrón de Corazones, and the impact on viewers' knowledge and behavioral intentions were assessed using three methods. First, an analysis of call attempts to 1-800-4-CANCER demonstrated a significant increase in calls when a PSA featuring the number aired during the program. Second, a nationwide telephone survey indicated that viewers, especially those who identify with Spanish-language television characters, gained specific knowledge from viewing the story and that male viewers were significantly more likely to recommend that women have a mammogram. Third, these trends were confirmed and further explored using focus groups of Ladrón viewers. Implications for educating viewers using dramatic serials in the United States are discussed.
In the United States, entertainment-education (E-E) initiatives in primetime television that provide public health information are at risk for diminished impact due to the media-saturated environment in which they must compete. One strategy to overcome this limitation is to use multiple primetime TV shows to reinforce similar health messages in multiple storylines. The current study explores such an approach by evaluating the impact of two separate breast cancer genetics storylines featured on two different TV programs as the result of outreach to writers and producers. These storylines aired within approximately 3 weeks of each other on the popular medical dramas, ER (NBC) and Grey's Anatomy (ABC), and included information about the BRCA1 breast cancer gene mutation and the risks it poses to women who test positive for it. The evaluation used data collected from a panel sample of 599 female survey respondents at three points in time. Results show that while the individual storylines had a modest impact on viewers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to breast cancer, combined exposure seemed to be most effective at changing outcomes. Implications of our findings for future E-E interventions and evaluations are discussed.
In the United States, minority women are at risk of HIV infection and comprise a disproportionate share of daytime soap opera viewers. In August 2001, a soap opera subplot delivered HIV prevention messages to viewers and displayed the National STD and AIDS Hotline's toll-free number (800-342-2437) after 2 episodes.On both days, the number of attempted calls to the Hotline in the 1-hour time slots during and just after the 30-minute broadcasts rose dramatically. These increases in information-seeking behavior are consistent with predictions based on social cognitive theory, the health belief model, and various models of information processing. The increases also provide support for the Education-Entertainment approach and underscore the importance of a productive partnership between public health and the entertainment industry.
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