title: Advertising sexual health services that provide sexually transmissible infection screening for rural young people - what works and what doesn't.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  'TESTme' is a sexually transmissible infection (STI) screening service for Victorian young people living in rural areas. We evaluated the effectiveness of advertising for this service over an 11-month pilot period.
  
  
  METHODS
  The advertising that was used included websites, a Facebook page, posters, flyers, business cards, wrist bands and professional development sessions for health nurses that occurred throughout the pilot period. We also used once-off methods including advertisements in newspapers, student diaries and short messages to mobile phones.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-eight clients had a consultation through TESTme. Twenty found the service through health professionals, six through the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) web page, one through the Facebook page and one through the student diary. The total direct costs incurred by the centre for advertising were $20850. The advertising cost per client reached for each advertising method was $26 for health professionals, $80 for the MSHC web advertisement, $1408 for Facebook and $790 for the student diary. Other advertising methods cost $12248 and did not attract any clients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Advertising STI health services for rural young people would be best to focus on referrals from other health services or health care websites.
authors.affiliation: Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Vic. 3053, Australia.
authors.forename: Deepa G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Gamage
authors.forename: Candice A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.forename: Rosey
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cummings
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Tomnay
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Cameryn C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Garrett
authors.forename: Jane S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hocking
authors.forename: Catriona S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Bradshaw
authors.forename: Christopher K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Fairley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000329:Advertising / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014739:Victoria; D055815:Young Adult