The Impact of Channel Reliance on Tactical Mobilizing Information about HIV Transmission.

A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that individuals who rely solely on interactive channels for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention information will have different levels of accurate Tactical Mobilizing Information (MI) on HIV prevention than those who rely solely on non-interactive channels. The hypothesis was tested using data collected in a telephone survey of 358 undergraduate students at the University of Oregon in late February and early March 1988. The survey questions dealt with the mass media, AIDS, and sexual and drug-use behavior. The response rate for the survey was 68%. A one-way analysis of variance was done with Tactical MI as the dependent variable, channel reliance as the factor, and concern and attention as covariates. Results showed no evidence that reliance on interactive or non-interactive information channels predicts to higher levels of tactical mobilizing information on HIV transmission. This finding would be consistent with suggestions that "pitting" information channels against each other in a search for various effects tends to reify the role of the sender in the communication process. Findings are lacking in that they do not illuminate much about what channel reliance might mean in terms of the strategies or mechanisms individuals use to negotiate their communication environment or the antecedent conditions for reliance on one kind of channel versus another for information on HIV transmission. (Three tables of data and 41 footnotes are included.) (MG)