Using Brochures as Educational Tools to Promote Routine HIV Testing in Youth

About 60% of American youth with HIV are unaware of their infection. Whereas routine HIV testing of youth ages 16-18 is recommended, the level of awareness of the recommendation is low. The purpose of this study was to develop evidence-based brochures that can be used to promote routine HIV testing of youth and to evaluate their effectiveness and acceptability. Brochure development was undertaken in five steps. Twenty-six youth and 30 adults completed a survey on perception of effectiveness and acceptability of the brochures. Adults were more likely than youth to report a change in belief on the need of HIV testing (OR = 5.3, 95% CI: 2.9, 9.7) and perceive brochures as containing enough information to decide to get tested (OR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.2, 6.0). Attention to content, readability, and appearance of messages is key to production of evidence-based brochures.