An Examination of U.S. Federally Funded Television Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in Changing AIDS Risk Behaviors in African American Populations

During the period of January 1996 through June 1999, African Americans accounted for 50% of all AIDS diagnoses and 57% of all diagnoses, Using the Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change as a conceptual framework, this study examined English language Public Service Announcements (PSAs) disseminated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute on Drug Abuse to determine whether televised broadcasts aimed at general and African American audiences followed a logical sequence from awareness to motivation, skill building, and maintenance. Findings indicated that PSAs provided factual information, but failed to move beyond factual information to presenting messages that promoted, motivated, and reinforced behavior change. There were no statistically significant differences in the variables examined between the PSAs targeting African Americans and those targeting the general population.