Refocusing National Attention on the HIV Crisis in the United States

Act Against AIDS is a five-year, multi-faceted communication campaign designed to contribute to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) goal of reducing HIV incidence in the United States. The campaign is being planned and released in phases, many of which are scheduled to run concurrently. Each phase, with its own unique objectives and target audiences, will utilize mass media and direct-to-consumer communication channels to deliver important HIV prevention messages in a manner designed to be compelling, credible, and relevant. Some campaign phases will address basic education and awareness needs, while others will address the specific risk reduction needs of the populations at greatest risk for infection.

According to new CDC data, approximately 50,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV each year — substantially more than was previously known — and more than 14,000 people with AIDS still die each year in the United States.,² Yet, studies show that some of the populations with the highest rates of infection either do not recognize their risk or believe that HIV is no longer a serious health threat. Research indicates that individuals who are complacent about the threat of HIV are more likely to practice risky behaviors.^3-10

Campaign Phases

Kick-off Phase: "9½ minutes"

CDC launched Act Against AIDS with an initial phase to directly address complacency by reminding all Americans of the significant health threat of HIV in their own country. "9½ minutes" was  the theme, and the message was simple: Right here in the United States, every 9½ minutes, someone’s brother, mother, sister, father, or neighbor is infected with HIV. The "9½ minutes" messages are being delivered through various communication channels, including online banner ads, transit ads, radio ads, airport dioramas, and online videos.

Future Phases: Targeted Communications to Communities At Risk

The next phases of the Act Against AIDS campaign will focus on reaching specific populations at greatest risk, including African-Americans, Hispanic/Latinos and men who have sex with men (MSM). Visit web site to view and learn more about the campaigns.

Campaign Complements CDC’s Ongoing Prevention Efforts

The Act Against AIDS campaign is only one component of CDC’s comprehensive HIV prevention efforts. It will add a key element by helping to break through complacency and ensure all Americans have access to the basic facts about HIV in the United States today.

At an individual level, the campaign will strive to help people recognize their own risk and take action. At a community level, the campaign will work to create and sustain norms that are supportive of successful HIV prevention, and at a national level, the campaign will seek to remind all Americans of the continued toll of HIV in our nation and the need for collaborative action. The campaign will be evaluated and refined over time based on its ability to motivate action, change knowledge and awareness, and ultimately change HIV prevention practices.

Each year, CDC devotes roughly $750 million to HIV prevention activities nationwide. These include designing and implementing systems to track the course of the HIV epidemic, conducting research to develop new HIV prevention approaches, working through public health partners and health care providers to expand access to HIV testing, and delivering proven prevention programs for those at greatest risk through nationwide partnerships with state and local health departments and community-based organizations.

References

1. Prejean J, Song R, Hernandez A, Ziebell R, Green T, et al. (2011) Estimated HIV Incidence in the United States, 2006-2009. PLoS ONE 6(8): e17502.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017502
2. CDC. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 2007. Vol. 19. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2009.
3. Wolitski RJ. The emergence of bare backing among gay and bisexual men in the United States: a public health perspective. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy 2005;9:9-34.
4. Sullivan PS, Drake AJ, Sanchez TH. Prevalence of treatment optimism-related risk behavior and associated factors among men who have sex with men in 11 states, 2000–2001. AIDS and Behavior 2007;11:123-129.
5. CDC. HIV infection among young black men who have sex with men—Jackson, Mississippi, 2006-2008. MMWR 2009;58:77-81.
6. CDC. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Risk, Prevention, and Testing Behaviors—United States, National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System: Men Who Have Sex with Men, November 2003–April 2005. Surveillance Summaries, July 7, 2006. MMWR 2006;55(No. SS-6).
7. MacKellar DA, Valleroy LA, Secura GM, et al. Perceptions of lifetime risk and actual risk for acquiring HIV among young men who have sex with men. AIDS and Behavior 2007;11:263-270.
8. Valdiserri, RO. HIV/AIDS stigma: an impediment to public health. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92:341-342.
9. Herek GM, Capitanio JP, Widaman KF. HIV-related stigma and knowledge in the United States: prevalence and trends, 1991–1999. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92:371-377.
10. Herek GM, Widaman KF, Capitanio JP. When sex equals AIDS: symbolic stigma and heterosexual adults’ inaccurate beliefs about sexual transmission of AIDS. Social Problems 2005;52:15-37.