Evaluating an Entertainment–Education Telenovela to Promote Workplace Safety

• Main Authors: Diego E. Castaneda, Kurt C. Organista, Leslie Rodriguez, Pietra Check
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2013-08-01
• Series: SAGE Open
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013500284

Occupational safety and health professionals worked with health communication experts to collaborate with a major Spanish language television network to develop and implement a construction workplace safety media intervention targeting Latino/Hispanic audiences. An Entertainment–Education (EE) health communication strategy was used to create a worksite safety storyline weaved into the main plot of a nationally televised Telenovela (Spanish language soap opera). A secondary analysis of audience survey data in a pre/posttest cross-sectional equivalent group design was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of this EE media intervention to change knowledge, attitudes, and intention outcomes related to the prevention of fatal falls at construction worksites. Results indicate that using culturally relevant mediums can be an effective way of reaching and educating audiences about specific fall prevention information. This is aligned with recommendations by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to increase interventions and evaluations of culturally relevant and competent health communication.