Warning:

This document is being maintained for historical purposes, but is now out of date. To view current guidelines please visit:

• HIV/AIDS Guidelines and Recommendations   at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/guidelines/index.html

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Guidelines for Health Education and Risk Reduction Activities

April 1995
                
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Georgia

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                            Channel Selection

Communication channels are the routes or methods chosen to reach the target
audiences. Types of channels include mass media, interpersonal
transactions, and community-based interactions. Understanding the
advantages and disadvantages of communication channels can help assure the
best use of each, including the coordination of mass media activities with
other strategies where beneficial.  Each channel has its own
characteristics and advantages and disadvantages, as listed here:

MASS MEDIA (radio, television, newspapers, magazines)

Advantages:     can reach many people quickly
            
                can provide information
            
                can help change and reinforce attitudes
            
                can prompt an immediate action (e.g., calling toll-free number)
            
                can demonstrate the desired action

Disadvantages:  are less personal and intimate
               
                are less trusted by some people
               
                do not permit interaction
               
                offer limited time and space
               
                offer limited opportunities to communicate complex
                or controversial information alone, usually cannot
                change behavior
                    
                can be costly
 
COMMUNITY CHANNELS (schools, employers, community meetings and
organizations, churches/religious institutions, special events)

Advantages:     may be familiar, trusted, and influential
             
                may be more likely than media alone to
                motivate/support behavior change 
             
                can reach groups of people at once
             
                can sometimes be inexpensive
             
                can offer shared experiences
           
Disadvantages:  can sometimes be costly 

                can be time consuming 
                
                may not provide personalized attention

INTERPERSONAL CHANNELS (e.g., hotline counselors, parents, health care
providers, clergy, educators)

Advantages:     can be credible
            
                can permit two-way discussion
            
                can be motivational, influential, supportive

Disadvantages:  can be expensive
               
                can be time consuming
               
                can have limited target audience reach

Selecting the Appropriate Channel

The appropriate channel or channels for a specific project can be selected
by assessing whether the channel is:

  - Likely to reach a significant portion of the target audience.  (Local
    media outlets can provide a demographic profile of their viewers/
    readers/listeners.)

  - Likely to reach them often enough to provide adequate exposure for the
    message/program.

  - Credible for the target audience.

  - Appropriate and accessible for the selected HIV/AIDS message.

  - Appropriate for the program purpose (e.g., provide new information
    versus motivate action).

  - Feasible, given available resources.

Choosing multiple channels can help combine the best traits of each and
reinforce the message through repetition.  For example, a major daily
newspaper may reach the most people.  Adding stories in a local African
American newspaper may provide credibility within that community, and
publicizing the hotline in these stories can help the reader get more
information tailored to his or her needs. 

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