Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Exhibit Hall Poster Area 2 (Convention Center)
A short educational video was developed by health education professionals on various forms of contraception, with undergraduate students as the intended audience. Focus groups of Teaching Assistants, who recently taught an introductory-level undergraduate health course at a midsized Midwestern university, were conducted to evaluate the contraception video and determine whether or not it was worth showing in undergraduate introductory health courses. A valid quantitative evaluation instrument was also used to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the contraception video. Several key themes emerged from the focus groups, including: (1) the video was a good ice-breaker for a class discussion on contraceptives, (2) the video needs more clear, in-depth information and explanation on each of the contraceptives, (3) the video had a diverse cast but needs to have a more diverse cast, (4) the scenes the TAs felt were the most realistic were also viewed as the scenes college students would like or remember the most, (5) the video needed the use of credible and reliable sources used in their statements (instead of the reference to Wikipedia), (6) awkward or uncomfortable scenes were also viewed as misleading and inappropriate (6) the video did a good job of showing the most popular contraceptives, (7) the video could have stressed the benefits of abstinence more for emphasis, and (8) the use of foreign language and captions, and scrolling words at the bottom of the scenes to inform viewers were considered distracting. The TAs also offered suggestions and recommendations for future contraceptive videos.