Salud es Vida...Enterate!

This Spanish-language multi-media campaign is meant to be a call-to-action designed to raise awareness, increase knowledge, and encourage positive health decision-making. ¡Entérate! draws on Univision's reach (it is "the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 97% of U.S. Hispanic households") to educate its audience on health issues and promote primary prevention, habits of healthy living, access to care and disease-specific prevention and treatment. Key health issues being addressed include: asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, sexual health issues - including HIV/AIDS and other STIs - immunisation, prenatal care/infant mortality, tobacco cessation, obesity, physical activity, and nutrition.

Specifically, Univision, in partnership with community, health and physician organisations, is providing informational media messages and programming via PSAs, vignettes, news and dedicated health programmes featuring testimonials, medical experts, and nationally recognised Hispanic celebrities, such as TV talk show host Cristina Saralegui (who pledged to promote ¡Entérate! on her weekly television and radio programmes, her website, and through her magazine). Univision Radio is also offering a weekly hour-long radio programme on health issues. To complement this effort, Univision has developed a Spanish-language health-related website that provides risk assessment surveys, interactive guides, and links to health organisations.

Particular components of the initiative include:

• 30-second PSAs that aim to raise awareness about the risk of STIs and to encourage communication about sexual health issues. The PSAs are tagged with a toll-free hotline and website address (see below) for viewers seeking additional information.
• A free bilingual sexual health guide called ¡Entérate! which provides readers with information on a range of issues, including STIs, protection and contraception, and how to communicate with partners and health care providers. Meant to appeal to young people, the style is casual and conversational - with concrete information and direction for further guidance provided as well. For instance, when addressing the challenge of talking to one's partner about sex and protection (contraception), the booklet notes, "If the idea of having this talk makes you feel nauseous or turns your face beet-red, calmate. This is someone you care about and who cares about you...right? If you can't talk about it, is this [sex] really something you want to do with that person?" As a side-bar of this portion of the booklet, several resources are provided, such as the free, confidential counselling hotline offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Click here to find out how to access ¡Entérate!.
• A toll-free hotline, 1-866 TU SALUD, through which callers can request a free copy of ¡Entérate! as well as be connected with health organisations in their local area. It also provides a link to the CDC's National HIV/AIDS and STI hotlines.
• Online resources at the Entérate website (Spanish language only), including an interactive version of the booklet and monthly chats hosted by Univision talent like Karla Martinez of the popular teen show "Control", paired with sexual health experts.
• Special feature stories that will be developed to help raise awareness of sexual health issues facing young Latinos today.

Health, Sexual & Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS, Youth.