A social work plan to promote HIV testing: A social marketing approach

• Published in: Social work in health care Vol. 56; no. 3; pp. 141 - 154
• Main Author: Morgan-Siebe, J. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Routledge 16.03.2017; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; AIDS; AIDS Serodiagnosis - standards; AIDS Serodiagnosis - utilization; Campaigns; Cure; Health disparities; Health promotion; Health Promotion - methods; Health services; Health Status Disparities; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; HIV; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - ethnology; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - transmission; HIV/AIDS; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Impulsive Behavior; Interdisciplinary aspects; Interprofessional cooperation; Marketing of Health Services - methods; Medical tests; Medicine; Minority Health - statistics & numerical data; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Positioning; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Prevalence; Sensation seeking; Social marketing; Social work; Social Work - methods; Social workers; Substance-Related Disorders - complications; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; testing; Tests; United States - epidemiology; Unsafe Sex - prevention & control; Unsafe Sex - psychology; HIV/AIDS; sensation seeking; social work; social marketing; testing; Health disparities
• DOI: 10.1080/00981389.2016.1265626
• ISSN: 0098-1389; 1541-034X

Many people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) do not know that they are infected. It is important for infected persons to get tested for HIV in order to be diagnosed and medically treated. HIV has no known cure, but it can be controlled and sometimes prevented with proper medical care. The social work profession has ideal positioning to be extraordinarily helpful in work that promotes HIV testing, leading to reducing then eliminating new HIV diagnoses. Social marketing interventions, along with audience segmenting are explained. Specific attention is given to two separate subjects-minority health disparities and impulsive and/or sensation seeking sex practices-to showcase the versatility of social marketing in the promotion of HIV testing. Further ideas about how social workers can participate in these interprofessional social marketing campaigns are provided.