. . . Sending out an SMS: an Impact and Outcome Evaluation of the Western Australian Department of Health's 2005 Chlamydia Campaign

Issue Addressed: Evaluation of the Western Australian (WA) Department of Health 2005 chlamydia campaign.

Methods: Twenty-nine people aged 17-25 years were focus tested and 122 people aged 14-29 years were surveyed to investigate awareness and opinions of a multimedia chlamydia campaign targeting young people and to seek their recommendations on how to communicate sexual health information to young people. Forty-three general practice (GP) waiting rooms in the Perth metropolitan area were visited to examine type, availability and standard of display of sexual health resources.

Results: The majority of participants surveyed (63.2%) were aware of the chlamydia campaign. Campaign recall ranged from 27% for the website to 48.4% for the posters and print advertisements. Participants predominantly nominated television, radio, posters and magazines as preferred media for receiving sexual health messages. Participants preferred to obtain sexual health information through the Internet or a health professional. The majority of participants (58.2%) rated Short Message Service (SMS) as a very good or good communication method. Chlamydia testing increased during the campaign period by 21% in females and 29% in males, and notifications increased by 12% in females and 4% in males.

Conclusions: The study demonstrated a high level of awareness of the chlamydia campaign among the target audience. Television, radio, posters, magazines, the Internet and health professionals were the preferred media for receiving and obtaining sexual health information. SMS was identified as a useful marketing strategy. There was a low level of uptake of the campaign resources in GP waiting rooms.