Tu Amigo Pepe: Evaluation of a Multi-media Marketing Campaign that Targets Young Latino Immigrant MSM with HIV Testing Messages

• Published in: AIDS and behavior 2016-09, Vol.20 (9), p.1973-1988
• Main Authors: Solorio, Rosa, Norton-Shelpuk, Pamela, Forehand, Mark, Montaño, Daniel, Stern, Joshua, Aguirre, Joel, Martinez, Marcos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; AIDS Serodiagnosis - statistics & numerical data; Attitudes; Digital media; Empowerment; Feasibility Studies; Gays & lesbians; Health Promotion - methods; Health Psychology; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic Americans - education; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Hispanic people; HIV; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - ethnology; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Homosexuality; Homosexuality, Male; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immigrants; Infectious Diseases; Lentivirus; Male; Males; Marketing; Mass media; Mass Screening - methods; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Multimedia; Noncitizens; Norms; Original Paper; Perceptions; Pilot Projects; Program Evaluation; Public Health; Public service; Public service advertising; Reminder effects; Sexually transmitted diseases; Social Marketing; Social Media; STD; Technology; Transients and Migrants - education; Transients and Migrants - psychology; United States; Washington; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1090-7165; 1573-3254
• DOI: 10.1007/s10461-015-1277-6

Latino immigrant men who have sex with men (MSM) are at risk for HIV and delayed diagnosis in the United States. This paper describes the evaluation of a pilot of the Tu Amigo Pepe , a multimedia HIV testing campaign aimed at Latino MSM in Seattle, WA particularly targeting immigrants who may not identify as gay, ages 18–30 years old. The 16-week campaign included Spanish-language radio public service announcements (PSAs), a Web site, social media outreach, a reminder system using mobile technology, print materials and a toll-free hotline. In developing the PSAs, the Integrated Behavioral Model was used as a framework to reframe negative attitudes, beliefs and norms towards HIV testing with positive ones as well as to promote self-efficacy towards HIV testing. The campaign had a significant and immediate impact on attitudes, beliefs, norms and self-efficacy towards HIV testing as well as on actual behavior, with HIV testing rates increasing over time.