The goal of the present two-year investigation is to learn lessons about effective and ineffective dissemination strategies of programs targeted to unique population groups within San Francisco which are at high-risk for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). San Francisco was chosen for analysis because of its innovative response to AIDS, and the high degree of learning among program administrators. Effectiveness measures will be obtained for the forty most unique community-based programs in San francisco (from an estimated population of approximately 200). From these, the 10 most effective and 10 least effective programs will be selected for study. The present investigators, along with four graduate assistants, will personally interview at least two administrators from each program in order to identify, rank, categorize, and compare the dissemination strategies of each program, through a content analysis of transcribed interviews and follow-up personal interviews. Case studies of the three most effective programs and the three least effective programs will lend a contextual interpretation to the study's quantitative results and add a diversity of perceptions concerning effective program strategies. The present research has been purposively designed to achieve both applied and theoretical results. Outcomes will include (1) useful lessons about effective and ineffective dissemination strategies for health information, (2) a better specification of social marketing and diffusion of innovation theory and their application to unique population groups in the U.S., (3) direct feedback in a meeting with AIDS/HIV educational and preventive program decision-makers in San francisco and Albuquerque concerning the possible improvement of their dissemination activities, (4) a conference at Michigan State University to disseminate and consider the theoretical and policy relevant implications of the completed study, and (5) a conference proceedings, agency final report, doctoral dissertation(s), and a set of published peer-reviewed articles.
