Entertainment-education as an effective tool to educate and promote healthy behaviors in the Latino community: "Encrucijada: Sin salud no hay nada" ("Crossroads: Without health there is nothing")

Background. Electronic media has shown to be an excellent means of communication with difficult to reach populations. Spanish speaking Latinos face multiple barriers accessing health care in Colorado, having low rates of health insurance, and sometimes delaying care until emergency care is necessary. A partnership of Colorado organizations joined forces to create a soap opera to educate the Spanish-speaking community about health topics, disease management, and healthy living as well as to promote enrollment in the public health insurance programs. This presentation will focus on the evaluation findings of Encrucijada, Sin Salud No Hay Nada.

Methods. The evaluation questions addressed were: What is the impact of Encrucijada on CHP+ / Medicaid enrollment? And what is the impact of Encrucijada on its viewers' knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors? A mixed methodology was used to answer these questions: Phone surveys, call center records, TV ratings, and case studies provided the data for this evaluation.

Results. Preliminary evaluation results indicate that Encrucijada's audience learned about CHP+ and Medicaid, health conditions, and ways to care for themselves. Changes were found in attitudes, intentions, and behaviors, as well as a positive movement towards enrollment in health insurance and seeking ongoing medical care. Final results of this evaluation will be presented during this session.

Conclusions. Evaluation results indicate that this entertainment-education intervention was effective in addressing the healthcare needs of the Colorado's Spanish speaking community. It also shared light on the critical features of this intervention.