Evaluation of the HEA Aids press campaign: December 1988 to March 1989

IN late 1988 and early 1989, the Health Education Authority ran an Aids/HIV public education press campaign. The decision to use press advertising was prompted by a growing awareness of the potentially dysfunctional effects, for the maintenance of public concern about Aids, of on/off bursts of high profile advertising followed by periods of apparent inactiv ity. Additionally, it was felt that the press might be best suited to the effective transmission of certain key pieces of information. Efforts to evaluate the campaign therefore paid close attention to the extent to which these goals were attained, and the findings are presented to guide future strategies in terms of optimal choice of media.