Dual Delivery Modes: The Effects of an HIV/AIDS PSA Video on Behavioral Change in College Students

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis: The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) is the theoretical framework for this study on college student attitudes and intentions toward behavioral change in the prevention of HIV. The EPPM is rooted in fear appeal and asserts that individuals are more likely to take action, such as using condoms or getting tested, to prevent a serious disease as their perceived risk increases. The selected PSA, in realistic and animated versions, uses a fear appeal approach. The overarching research question is: Do modes of delivery in an HIV/AIDS prevention message impact college students’ attitudes and intentions toward behavioral changes with condom use and HIV/AIDS testing? Hypotheses focused on the amounts of change in pretest/posttest attitude and intention scores within and between treatment groups. 

Methods: This quasi-experiment utilizes an equivalent group pretest/posttest design with an online questionnaire and embedded video. Two treatment groups viewed either a realistic PSA video or a character-animated version. A control group served as a baseline for comparison. The sample was a stratified, non-random sample of convenience consisting of 191 undergraduate students. The study adapted items from the Risk Behavior Diagnosis (RBD) Scale, originally created for researchers and health communicators (Kim Witte, Cameron, McKeon, & Berkowitz, 1996; K. Witte, Meyer, & Martell, 2001). In addition, the study analyzed the impact of gender on attitudes and intentions. 

Results:  Students in the realistic video treatment group showed a positive change in attitudes on response efficacy regarding condom use and intentions to test for HIV, but not on self-efficacy. Students who viewed the character-animated video showed consistent attitudinal and intentional changes toward condom use and HIV testing. After viewing either video, male students indicated they felt more susceptible than females to HIV, and therefore, were more inclined to use condoms. Unlike students in the character-animated video treatment group, students who viewed a realistic video identified with video characters of like gender on overall impression. Neither group identified with characters of like gender on believability.

Conclusions:  This study indicates that a brief video intervention has an effect on changing attitudes toward using condoms and changing intentions toward getting tested for HIV. Moreover, the results indicate that females and males are in need of interventions specifically designed to convey messages on increasing self-efficacy. Since behavioral change is difficult to achieve, incorporating a supplemental intervention may be more effective. This preliminary study is a basis for understanding college students’ attitudes for modifying behaviors in order to design specific health messages targeted to female and male college students. 

Implications for research and/or practice:  The implications of this study add practical value to health communicators in designing intervention videos, specifically targeted to female and male students in their late teens and early twenties. Future qualitative studies are recommended to provide deeper insight on gender differences regarding the influence of peers on safe sexual behavior, female negotiation skills to use condoms, and stigmas associated with HIV testing and female purchasing of condoms. Qualitative research may also provide detailed feedback on the aesthetic content of the videos, aiding in the design of PSAs, three-dimensional video games and educational/instructional videos.