An evaluation of the use of drama to communicate HIV AIDS information

This study evaluated the effectiveness of three dramas created to dissemina te HIV/AIDS information. Predrama and postdrama interviews were conducted w ith a cohort of randomly selected audience members from ten separate perfor mances in Tamil Nadu state, India (N = 93); an interview was also conducted with a postdrama-only comparison group (N = 99). The results showed that a significant increase in HIV/AIDS-related knowledge occurred as a result of watching the drama. Before the drama, audiences had relatively high levels of accurate knowledge about HIV/AIDS but lower knowledge levels of common HIV/AIDS misconceptions. The drama reduced these misconceptions. The drama also increased the level of reported intentions to treat HIV positive indiv iduals more kindly. This research demonstrates that drama can be an effecti ve medium for communicating HIV/AIDS information and can reduce knowledge g aps associated with low levels of formal education. Drama can also be used to convey socioemotive and sensitive material and could find wide applicabi lity in many settings.