| Evidence of rapid escalation of human immune deficiency virus (HIV) infection rates for individuals born after 1960 causes increased concern for the effectiveness of health education interventions targeting youth. Adolescents need effective and accessible means of instruction about HIV prevention. The selection and dissemination of education materials to educate youth about health promotion strategies remain a critical need due to these factors: increased sexual activity at earlier ages; the effects of personal and environmental factors on knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behavioral intent; decreased support for families; and the ongoing controversy about sex education policies and practices in schools and youth-serving agencies.;Subsidiary research questions centered on the effects of types of media formats on KABB outcomes and on the variables of age and gender. Findings indicated that small to moderate effects could be expected from media-based treatments on KABB outcomes. Strong effects were found for video on knowledge gains (d = +0.7768), print on attitude (d = +0.8114), and the combination of print and video on behavioral intent (d = +0.8716). Outcomes differentiated by younger (d = +0.7618) and older (d = +0.4192) age groups, showed strong to moderate gains respectively. Gender differences were inconclusive.;The study has significance for the continued health of adolescents and guides policy makers, educators, and health care and youth-service providers toward more effective design, dissemination, and evaluation of AIDS educational materials.;The purpose of this investigation was to synthesize the results of selected research which measured the effects of media-based resources on HIV prevention for adolescents. Using meta-analysis, experimental studies were analyzed for their effects on adolescents' knowledge, attitude, behavioral intent, and beliefs (KABB) related to the prevention of HIV infection. Small to moderate positive effects were found for four media-based treatments; print (d = +0.5769), videotape (d = +0.3053), computer-aided instruction (d = +0.0633), and the combination of print and video (d = +0.5248). Print formats and print and video used in tandem demonstrated consistently larger effects than other treatment types. Following the removal of computer-aided instruction as an outlier, homogeneity of the results indicated consistency of findings grouped by type of media. |
