LEXINGTON, Ky., Apr 4, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Researchers said a TV public
service announcement may have resulted in 181,224 fewer unprotected intercourse
occasions than would have occurred without the PSA.
"Mass media campaigns crafted from sophisticated design principles can be
effective in changing health behaviors, at least in the short-term and ... a
re-occurring campaign presence may be necessary to sustain these safe
behaviors," Rick Zimmerman and Philip Palmgreen, both from University of
Kentucky, said in a statement.
The 21-month-long study assessed the impact of a televised PSA on changing safer
sex beliefs and behaviors and found that the campaign effectively increased
condom use among high-risk young adults, on average, by 13 percent.
Similar effects were found on intentions to use condoms in the future and in
perceived ability to use condoms.
The study compared the effects of the campaign that aired on television during a
three-month period, targeting high sensation-seeking, impulsive decision-making
young adults in Lexington, Ky., with an identical group in Knoxville, Tenn., not
exposed to a campaign.
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Copyright 2008 by United Press International