Victor and Erika Webnovela: An Innovative Generation @ Audience Engagement Strategy for Prevention

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Health Commun
• Personal Author:
  Andrade, E.L. ; Evans, W.D. ; Edberg, M.C. ; Cleary, S.D. ; Villalba, R. ; Batista, I.C.
• Description:
  Entertainment-education (E-E) approaches for young audiences continue to evolve in order to keep stride with younger generations' affinity for technology. E-E and novelas have been used with a wide variety of audiences in the United States, in particular hard-to-reach Latino populations, and have demonstrated effectiveness in disseminating culturally relevant prevention information for a wide variety of health-related risk factors and behaviors. This study discusses the formative research and active engagement of Latino youth living in Langley Park, Maryland, for the development and filming of an innovative 6-episode webnovela titled Victor and Erika (V&E). V&E is part of a larger branding strategy of the Adelante Positive Youth Development intervention that seeks to prevent substance abuse, sexual risk, and interpersonal violence among Latino youth; V&E is also an intervention component. The V&E webnovela is a dramatic portrayal of the lives of 2 immigrant Latino teenagers that also disseminates risk prevention messages. The storyline represents the turning the corner (to a better life) theme that underlies the Adelante intervention brand. Formative research was conducted for character development (n = 20) and creative development of the episodes (n = 14). Results of the formative research showed that youth recommended inclusion of the following topics in V&E episodes: sex, unintended pregnancy, fidelity, trust, family dynamics, immigration status, violence, school dropout, respect, home life, and poverty. Detailed character and episode descriptions are provided, and the implications of using the V&E series as a tool for in-person and online engagement of youth and the dissemination of prevention messages are also discussed.
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Diffusion Of Innovation Health Education Hispanic Or Latino Humans Internet Motion Pictures Risk-Taking Sexual Behavior Substance-Related Disorders United States Violence

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• Source:
  J Health Commun. 20(12):1465-1472
• Pubmed ID:
  26252644
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4654645
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  P20 MD006898/MD/NIMHD NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U58 DP005819/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHSUnited States/ ; 1P20MD006898-01/MD/NIMHD NIH HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  20
• Issue:
  12
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:c6ae0d59b40a9e65ed455b36ec84d35d7babe1ebed75fd352c75509bb16f0be2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/76107/cdc_76107_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 98.47 KB ]