The Effectiveness of Video Messages in Public Health with High Risk Individuals

Community-based participatory research conducted in the Bronx, NY, drove the design of Project Three at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. The project explores the effectiveness of video messages to re-engage high-risk individuals in HIV re-testinging as well as improve their knowledge of risk-reduction practices. Video messages were sent as text messages or emails, in Spanish or English, according to patient preferences. Based on a successful innovative video intervention model undertaken in Jacobi’s emergency department Quimera worked with Dr. Yvette Calderon and her team to help conceptualize, design and produce the video series.

This video offers some of Dr. Calderon’s thoughts about the importance of community-based participatory research along with a few snippets from the video message series.

Stay tuned for the results!

NASTAD/ A Través de Nuestros Ojos (Through Our Eyes): A Video Report

In this chapter the research team discusses the importance of a report in video form, complementing the text-based report. Quimera worked with NASTAD to develop a video report based on a year-long qualitative research project investigating responses of health departments and community-based organizations to the HIV/AIDS crisis among Latino gay men in the U.S. The video report mirrors the written report: A Través de Nuestros Ojos (Through Our Eyes): Promoting Health and Social Equity to Address HIV/AIDS Among Latino Gay Men.

This video report was the first video report funded by the National Institutes for Health Office of AIDS Research, and one of the first by NIH.

NASTAD: HIV/AIDS and Women in the US

Quimera worked with NASTAD (National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) to develop this video for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Congresswomen Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, and Donna Christensen discuss the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls in the US and the importance of addressing health disparities as part of the national strategy.

UN Population Fund/ African Youth Alliance Video Report: M&E

UN Population Fund/African Youth Alliance Video Report: Botswana

In 2005 Quimera worked with the Director of Research at the UN Population Fund and their African Youth Alliance Program (AYA) to develop a project evaluation video report as part of program close-out and project documentation. As one of the first UNFPA projects designed as a full partnership with youth program leadership wanted to understand the impacts of youth participation on the project. Through a list serve Quimera was a resource for in-country project youth teams, offering training and support related to audio and visual production and interviewing. In-country youth teams conducted and filmed interviews and focus groups, sending all raw footage to Quimera for editing into a final video report.

Latin American Youth Center: Tobacco Prevention

Quimera worked with a team of young people from LAYC to develop a community intervention to help decrease tobacco sales to minors. The strategy included the development of an educational video, conceptualized, produced and edited by the youth team. Quimera trained the team in basics of documentary film making, concept development, interviewing techniques, production and editing, guiding the team through the entire process. The team then took their educational video out to the community, targeting neighborhood shopkeepers, owners and employees, letting them better understand the health risks to young people from smoking as well as the local laws (and penalties) regulating tobacco sales to minors.

This is a snippet from the video report created by Quimera following the team throughout the project. The full version of the project video can be seen here.