Drugs + HIV: Learn the Link campaign: How the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Adapted a television PSA for Hispanic teens

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) launched the Drugs + HIV: Learn the Link campaign to raise young people's awareness of the intersection of non-injection drug abuse, risky sexual behaviors and HIV transmission.

We present a case study that examines the approach used to culturally adapt, or “transcreate,” NIDA's Text Message television PSA—designed to reach young people age 13 to 18 with this message—so that it would be appropriate for a different audience: Hispanic teens.

To reinforce knowledge and motivate Hispanic youth to “use their brains, keep their bodies healthy and stay drug free,” we tailored the way consequences of drug abuse are portrayed in the adapted PSA according to what resonates with this audience.

This transcreation process included making unique decisions on the person selected as confidant (family member instead of friend) and her reaction (appropriate level of emotion), characteristics of the actors (Hispanic in appearance and a mix of ethnicities represented at a party), technology type (cell phone text messaging), terminology and music (universal teen slang and Reggaetón), extent of mixing English with Spanish (some Spanish in primarily English content) and storyline (niece sets up an in-person meeting via text message to tell her aunt she's HIV+; the underlying message is that family will help).