AEGiS-MISC: NIDA's online Webisodes educate young adults on the link between non-injection drug use and HIV transmission

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

NIDA's online Webisodes educate young adults on the link between non-injection drug use and HIV transmission

National Institute on Drug Abuse - December 1, 2007

On World AIDS Day December 1, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH),will debut the first in a series of "Webisodes," online vignettes on www.hiv.drugabuse.gov, to educate teens and young adults on the link between non-injection drug use and HIV transmission. The online episodes are a way of engaging youth in the storyline and characters introduced in a new television public service ad for NIDA's "Drugs + HIV> Learn the Link" campaign.

The campaign is designed to inform teens and young adults that non-injection drug use and alcohol consumption disrupt the parts of the brain that people use to weigh risks and benefits before making decisions. Research has shown that impaired judgment increases one's chances of engaging in risky sexual behavior that can lead to HIV transmission.

The first Webisode, titled "For Real," features a girl text messaging her boyfriend about a mutual friend who went to a party, "got messed up...hooked up with a guy...and now she has HIV." Future episodes will reveal additional details about the characters and the story.

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