Using New Media to Reach Women and Girls for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Today, March 10, is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD). Women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the U.S., and most are infected with HIV through heterosexual contact. Women of color are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS.

To learn more about the day, the role of new media in responding to HIV among women and girls, and how YOU can take action today, we spoke to Vera Yakovchenko from the Office on Women's Health (OWH), the lead Federal agency for NWGHAAD.

“This day is a tool to promote discussion and information sharing, as well as the opportunity to provide the facts for women and girls on how to prevent infection and live with HIV and AIDS,” Vera told us. This year's theme is HIV is Right Here at Home: Get Tested. Know Your Status.

OWH's efforts to create and increase visibility for NWGHAAD have combined the use of new and traditional media. Recent statistics from the Pew Internet and American Life Project show that 75% of adult women are online. The data show that older girls also have a strong presence on online social network sites, like MySpace and Facebook––70% of older girls (ages 15-17) have used an online social network, compared with 54% of older boys.

Vera said, “NWGHAAD is for all women – MySpacers, Twitterers, text messagers, and others who share knowledge and resources widely while generating awareness.” OWH responded to the need for online information in a number of ways, including a Save-the-Date e-Card and through their MySpace page .

Looking for other ways to get involved with National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day?

• Visit WomensHealth.gov to learn more about NWGHAAD and take action to stop the spread of HIV among women and girls.
• Share information about HIV testing in honor of NWGHAAD. As Vera told us, “with help, we hope to reach women across the country with messages about HIV/AIDS prevention and the importance of getting tested and knowing your status.”

• Promote HIV testing and know your status. Visit www.HIVtest.org or send a text message with your ZIP code to “KNOWIT” (566948) to find your local HIV testing center.
• Check out how other organizations are using new media to respond to HIV among women and girls. For example, Planned Parenthood of CT is promoting a free text-messaging service that provides HIV facts, quizzes, and information for NWGHAAD.
• Stay connected all year long through Twitter – join OWH at: http://twitter.com/womenshealth and AIDS.gov at: http://twitter.com/AIDSgov .

Are you using new media to take action for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day? We welcome your stories!

Comments

[Jessica E]

As a female college student, I can attest to the need for increased awareness for HIV/AIDS and how it affects the female population. While my university offers strong womens health services that educate the female population on other sexually transmitted diseases, I certainly was unware that the number of women living with HIV has been on the rise in recent years. A day of awareness should hopefully encourage universities, such as mine, to make sure incorporating HIV/AIDS awareness into their information campaigns remains a high priority.

I would encourage OWH to continue their effort to reach out to the younger female population through technology, and to expand that reach to Facebook groups and events for NWGHAAD. College students increasingly rely on Facebook for not only social networking, but as source to alert them to issue-based events.

[Katie]

Check out this student produced PSA contest that Keep a Child Alive is hosting!

http://statravelers.com/kca_psa_entries/

http://kcacollege.com/

[A. Gibbons]

I am also a female college student, and I think that the most helpful thing that using the media to help educate the youth can be used for is to broadcast information that is easily overlooked because it is "commonly known". I think that most women don't know that they can get tested at local hospitals in an anonymous manner, or how much it costs. I think that if local channels could broadcast this, along with any specific information that pertains to the area, it could help people get over the stigma of getting tested on a regular basis.

But having said that, I also think that a great way to ensure a woman's safety is to educate men. If men don't know how to get tested, or why they should be safe and cautious, then women's health will always be at risk.

I applaud OWH's efforts to fight this disease that is running tragically rampant.

[Ignite]

I am working with House of Ruth - a local non-for-profit agency providing HIV/AIDS services to the community.

Please take 10-15 minutes to complete the following survey:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228V6RCJKZW

We appreciate your time and thoughtfulness!
Have a great day!

[Karyn]

This is a great article! The role of new media is very important when it comes to HIV/AIDS awareness and jumpstarting the conversations about education and prevention.

A friend and I started The Red Pump Project earlier this month and on March 10th, over 100 female bloggers "Rocked the Red Pump" on their sites in support of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Alongside a specially designed icon, some ladies shared personal stories with their readers and some simply said "Please know your status and get tested." It was an amazing success and we at The Red Pump Project are looking forward to our continual and increasing use of the internet, blogs, and social networking sites, in an effort to raise awareness and promote action as it relates to HIV/AIDS!

For more information on The Red Pump Project, please visit www.theredpumpproject.com!