title: Saving Lives through visual health communication: a multidisciplinary team approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Saving Lives is a public health awareness charity that aims to educate the UK public about HIV and encourage testing for the virus. In May 2011 Saving Lives contacted the Medical Illustration department at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust to discuss the idea of working together to develop a national HIV awareness campaign.
  
  
  METHODS
  A number of local sporting celebrities were invited to a studio photography session. All the sports stars and celebrities were photographed on a Mamiya 645 AFDII camera, with PhaseOne P30 + digital back, using prime 35 mm, 55 mm and 80 mm lenses. During the photography sessions, the team's film maker captured video footage of the subjects being photographed. Once the final avengers' graphical composition had been created, it was applied to the posters, billboards and public transport signs for the campaign.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the three-month period following the campaign launch, survey research was carried out, the initial data being recorded by a questionnaire which was provided to each of the 1800 patients attending the Heartlands Hospital sexual health clinic for HIV testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following the launch of the initial campaign, the Saving Lives team continues to produce material to assist in the promotion of the charity and its message. Its success has led to it becoming an on-going long-term project, and to date the team have photographed and filmed 33 sporting stars and visited numerous sporting institutes.
authors.affiliation: Medical Illustration Department, Heart of England NHS foundation Trust.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wressell
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Twaites
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hartland
authors.forename: Theo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gove-Humphries
mesh_terms: D003146:Communications Media; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D058015:Health Communication / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010781:Photography; D060728:Reproductive Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014743:Videotape Recording