Embedding health messages into entertainment television: effect on gay men's response to a syphilis outbreak

The entertainment education (EE) approach seeks to impact audiences' health behavior by embedding messages in mass media productions, storylines, and characters that appeal strongly to them. Effect on behavioral intentions was examined following a storyline about syphilis in men who have sex with men (MSM) presented in a popular dramatic series. Five hundred and one MSM drawn from gay Internet chat rooms completed the questionnaire. Differences in item responses between those who did and did not view the syphilis storyline were calculated, and linear regression was used to examine predictors of intentions to take action. Those who viewed the syphilis storyline were more likely to report intention to get screened and to tell others to get screened for syphilis. Seeing the episode was a predictor of these intentions. Education was also a predictor of intention to tell others to get screened. Results suggest that exposure to a storyline about syphilis in gay men had a positive public health outcome on users of Internet chat rooms for MSM. Further studies are warranted to examine the extent to which and how the EE approach can produce health-relevant outcomes for U.S. populations, just as the approach has done in the developing world.