RESEARCH: An evaluation of the use of drama to communicate HIV/AIDS information

AIDS Education and Prevention, Vol 11 (3), Jun 1999, 203-211
ABSTRACT:
Evaluated the effectiveness of 3 dramas created by a community theater group to disseminate HIV/AIDS information. Pre- and post-drama interviews were conducted with a cohort of 93 randomly selected audience members (aged 15–45 yrs) from 10 separate performances in Tamil Nadu, India; an interview was also conducted with a post-drama-only comparison group of 99 Ss. Ss completed a series of 12 true/false HIV/AIDS knowledge questions, as well as an open-ended question about how they would treat a neighbor with AIDS. Results show that a significant increase in HIV/AIDS-related knowledge occurred as a result of watching the drama. Before the drama, audiences had relatively high levels of accurate knowledge about HIV/AIDS, but lower knowledge levels of common HIV/AIDS misconceptions. The drama reduced these misconceptions. The drama also increased the level of reported intentions to treat HIV-positive individuals more kindly. This research demonstrates that drama can be an effective medium for communicating HIV/AIDS information and can reduce knowledge gaps associated with low levels of formal education. Drama can also be used to convey socioemotive and sensitive material and could find wide applicability in many settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)