Evaluation of an advertising program on sexually transmitted diseases.

The Division of Venereal Disease Control in British Columbia undertook a three-year, $235,000 advertising campaign to increase demand for information on sexually transmitted disease, increase clinic attendance, and decrease the incidence of gonorrhea. As a result of the campaign, demand for information increased, and 150,000 calls were received on the recorded Venereal Disease Information Line. Annual attendance at the province's main clinic in Vancouver rose by 4,500 visits (a 25% increase), and the increase was significantly related to radio advertising. The number of reported cases of gonorrhea at the clinic dropped by 3.8%; the decrease was entirely within the female population. The campaign may have contributed to increased detection of nongonococcal infections, although lack of precampaign data does not permit full evaluation. The campaign was judged not be be cost-effective, and lack of integration with other services, especially expansion of clinic facilities and staff, led to early cancellation.