Can primetime drama change health knowledge & priorities? An evaluation of a Law & Order: SVU storyline, HIV/AIDS knowledge, global health, and domestic priorities

Entertainment media has become a useful and effective way of delivering health messages and information due to its wide appeal and universal popularity. This study examined the effects of viewing a health-related storyline involving a baby infected with AIDS and the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients by a physician who is an AIDS denier on Law & Order: SVU on HIV/AIDS knowledge and opinions about the importance of global health and domestic priorities.

Pre- and post-show online surveys were conducted among a sample of primetime television viewers (n=1197). Thirty-seven percent of respondents completed the survey at both baseline and follow-up; 63% completed only one survey constituting both panel and cross sectional samples for comparison. Multiple linear and logistic regression and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were conducted for this analysis.

Generally, HIV/AIDS knowledge was not affected by exposure to the SVU episode. However, an association was found between exposure and increased knowledge among those who had never been tested for HIV/AIDS (b=0.10, p<0.05) and among those who were current or past health professionals (b=0.23, p<0.05). Exposure was also associated with increasing awareness of AIDS deniers for females (AOR=5.93, p<0.05). Exposure to the SVU episode did not have an effect on ratings of global health or domestic priorities, though there was a trend towards an association between exposure and increased global health priorities for females.

These findings suggest a possible important health educational impact of viewing health-related storylines featured in primetime television programming.