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"Understanding AIDS"--the national AIDS mailer.
  • Published Date:
    1991 Nov-Dec
  • Source:
    Public Health Rep. 106(6):656-662
  • Language:
    English
Filetype[PDF-1.29 MB]


Details:
  • Personal Authors:
    Davis, David
  • Keywords:
  • Pubmed ID:
    1659713
  • Pubmed Central ID:
    PMCnull
  • Description:
    The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of the Public Health Service made public health history in 1988 by mailing the pamphlet, "Understanding AIDS," to every household in the United States. Approximately 126 million copies were distributed, reaching at least 60 percent of the population according to several national polls. The pamphlet was produced and mailed at a cost of about 20 cents per copy. The impact of "Understanding AIDS" by itself on AIDS-related behavior was not fully assessed. Extensive message pretesting and other commercial marketing techniques to improve the effectiveness of the brochure, however, helped "Understanding AIDS" achieve an increase in awareness and concern about AIDS. A number of lessons were learned during the process. They included the importance in such an enterprise of setting a deadline, doing formative research, receiving active support from senior management, achieving a consensus on scientific knowledge, using communications experts, centralizing the final decision-making function, maximizing publicity surrounding the mailing, building a base of support among constituency groups, planning distribution logistics from the very start, and designing evaluation into the process from the beginning.

  • Document Type:
    Journal Article
  • Collection(s):
    Public Health Reports
    CDC Public Access
  • Place as Subject:
    United States
  • Main Document Checksum:
  • Supporting Files:
    No Additional Files
    1. Public Health Rep ; v. 106, no. 6 : Masthead
      Published:
      Nov-Dec 1991
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6)
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.58 MB]
    2. Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the business community relative to HIV-AIDS.
      Personal Author:
      Farnham, P G
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):663-666
      Description:
      One of the goals of the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) policy on the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is to support business organizations in implementing HIV and AIDS infor...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 775.95 KB]
    3. Public Health Rep ; v. 106, no. 6 : table of contents
      Published:
      Nov-Dec 1991
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6)
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 500.71 KB]
    4. How the response to the epidemic of HIV infection has strengthened the public health system.
      Personal Author:
      Noble, Gary R.
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):608-615
      Description:
      Since acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS) was first identified in 1981, it has become one of the leading causes of death in men and women 25-44 years of age in the United States. The urgent public health response to the human immunodeficiency viru...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.21 MB]
    5. A system for evaluating the use of media in CDC's National AIDS Information and Education Program.
      Personal Author:
      Salmon, Charles T.; Jason, Janine;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):639-645
      Description:
      The National AIDS Information and Education Program (NAIEP) commissioned the National Academy of Sciences to design a prototypical system of research for use in the evaluation of the agency's media campaign. It consists of four types of evaluation: f...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.39 MB]
    6. Community-based organizations and CDC as partners in HIV education and prevention.
      Personal Author:
      Bailey, Marvin E.
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):702-708
      Description:
      By 1982, community responses to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic were evident in some cities in the United States. Community responses were planned, developed, and coordinated largely by service-oriented, community-based organiz...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.26 MB]
    7. NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS DATA LINE
      Personal Author:
      Smith, Sandra
      Published:
      Nov 1991
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):733-734
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 714.22 KB]
    8. Evaluating the CDC program for HIV counseling and testing.
      Personal Author:
      Rugg, Deborah L.; MacGowan, Rrobin J.; Stark, Kathleen A.; Swanson, Nancy M.;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):708-713
      Description:
      The Centers for Disease Control is conducting two investigations of the outcomes of HIV counselling and testing services offered persons at high risk for infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). One investigation is a trial conducted at...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.09 MB]
    9. National AIDS Hotline: HIV and AIDS information service through a toll-free telephone system.
      Personal Author:
      Waller, Robert R.; Lisella, Lynn W.;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):628-634
      Description:
      The National AIDS Hotline (NAH), a service of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), is an information resource for the population of the United States, its Territories, and Puerto Rico concerning the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired i...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.24 MB]
    10. Paid advertising for AIDS prevention--would the ends justify the means?
      Personal Author:
      Donovan, Robert J.; Jason, Janine; Gibbs, Deborah A.; Kroger, Fred;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):645-651
      Description:
      An examination by the Centers for Disease Control and the Research Triangle Institute concluded that "hard-to-reach" populations could be reached with AIDS prevention messages through the broadcast and print media and that a study should be undertake...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.34 MB]
    11. AIDS Community Demonstration Projects for HIV prevention among hard-to-reach groups.
      Personal Author:
      O'Reilly, Kevin R.; Higgins, Donna L.;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):714-720
      Description:
      The AIDS Community Demonstration Projects are multicenter prevention projects directing community-based interventions to members of hard-to-reach groups at risk of infection from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immunodeficie...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.32 MB]
    12. Increasing the involvement of national and regional racial and ethnic minority organizations in HIV information and education.
      Personal Author:
      Holman, Priscilla B.; Jenkins, Wwilliam C.; Gayle, Jacob A.; Duncan, Carlton; Lindsey, Bryan K.;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):687-694
      Description:
      Responding to the facts that (a) the AIDS epidemic is occurring among black and Hispanic populations disproportionately to their percentage of the U.S. population and (b) effective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention programs are racially, ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.22 MB]
    13. "America Responds to AIDS": its content, development process, and outcome.
      Personal Author:
      Woods, Diana R.; Davis, David; Westover, Bonita J.;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):616-622
      Description:
      During the 1987-90 period, five phases of new AIDS information materials were released to the general public in the ARTA campaign, including a national mailer. The five were "General Awareness: Humanizing AIDS" in October 1987, "Understanding AIDS," ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.17 MB]
    14. HIV safety guidelines and laboratory training. NIOSH.
      Personal Author:
      Collins, Carlyn L.; Mullan, Robert J.; Moseley, Robin R.;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):727-732
      Description:
      At the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), educational activities concerning acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are directed to many target audiences; important among these are health care and public safety workers. Several CDC programs are des...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.40 MB]
    15. A private organization and public agency partnership in community health education.
      Personal Author:
      Scarlett, Margaret I.; Williams, Kenneth R.; Cotton, Mary F.;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):667-672
      Description:
      The authors address a unique partnership among private and public organizations, that of the American Red Cross and the Centers for Disease Control of the Public Health Service. The partnership stimulates an integrated community response to preventin...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.21 MB]
    16. Improving community support for HIV and AIDS prevention through national partnerships.
      Personal Author:
      Williams, Kenneth R.; Scarlett, Margaret I.; Jimenez, Richard; Schwartz, Beverly; Stokes-Nielson, Peggy;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):672-677
      Description:
      If the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is to be prevented, the environment in which people live should predispose them to engage in and sustain safe behaviors. Too often in public health, the range of organizations that make up tha...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 958.11 KB]
    17. Strategies of media marketing for "America Responds to AIDS" and applying lessons learned.
      Personal Author:
      Keiser, Nikki Hutton
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):623-627
      Description:
      The Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) public service announcement (PSA) campaign on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), entitled "America Responds to AIDS," has provided an opportunity to examine various media marketing techniques and their ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 957.64 KB]
    18. First 3 years of the National AIDS Clearinghouse.
      Personal Author:
      Sinnock, Pomeroy; Murphy, Paulette E.; Baker, Timothy G.; Bates, Ruthann;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):634-639
      Description:
      The National AIDS Clearinghouse is an information service provided by the Centers for Disease Control. The Clearinghouse was established in 1987 to respond to increasing numbers of public and professional inquiries, to disseminate accurate informatio...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.27 MB]
    19. Communicating surveillance, epidemiologic, and laboratory information on HIV infection and AIDS.
      Personal Author:
      Greenspan, Allison L.; Curran, James W.;
      Published:
      1991 Nov-Dec
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6):721-726
      Description:
      As the epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has evolved over the past 10 years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has been at the forefront of the scientific efforts that have char...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.22 MB]
    20. Public Health Reports ; v. 106, no. 6, November-December 1991 : cover
      Published:
      Nov-Dec 1991
      Source:
      Public Health Rep. 106(6)
      Description:
      CDC's HIV Public Information and Education Programs
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 570.60 KB]
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