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CDCynergy - STD Prevention Edition

• What is CDCynergy?
• How does CDCynergy work?
• What's in the STD Prevention Edition of CDCynergy?
• How can CDCynergy help me?
• How can I be trained on the STD Prevention Edition of CDCynergy?
• Where can I get more information on CDCynergy?
• How can I use the information from the STD Communications Database with CDCynergy?

What is CDCynergy?

CDCynergy is an innovative and interactive CD-ROM-based tool that provides practical, step-by-step assistance to public health professionals in designing health communication plans and in developing sound interventions. It allows users to assemble the pieces of a health communication plan systematically by answering questions offered in a specific sequence. The STD Prevention Edition applies the CDCynergy model to STD-specific health problems.

How does CDCynergy work?

The CDCynergy process incorporates planning, implementation, and evaluation pieces. CDCynergy does not assume that communication is the solution to a public health problem. Rather, it guides you through a process in which you:

• Use research to help describe and determine the causes of the health problem that you plan to address with an intervention, and to detail the audience segments affected by the problem
• Explore a wide range of possible strategies for the problem
• Systematically select the strategies that may show the most promise to help the audiences
• Understand the role communication can play in planning, implementing, and evaluating selected strategies
• Develop a comprehensive communication plan that includes audience research, pretesting, production, launch, and evaluation at every stage

What's in the STD Prevention Edition of CDCynergy?

The STD Prevention Edition of CDCynergy is loaded with tools and resources to help plan and evaluate health communication activities:

• A step-by-step "how-to" guide
• Case studies and STD-specific examples
• Resources (Web sites, reports, documents, videotaped tips from experts, tools for research)
• A media library of STD-specific posters, pamphlets, concept boards, and television and radio spots
• A template for developing health communication interventions and plans
• A glossary of health communication terminology

How can CDCynergy help me?

CDCynergy will help you conceptualize and organize the complex process of health communication planning. It will also save you time and resources while providing a framework upon which you can build. CDCynergy provides a variety of resources at your fingertips.

How can I be trained on the STD Prevention Edition of CDCynergy?

For information on technical assistance and training opportunities for state and local health department staff, call 404-639-8656 or e-mail us (commdata@cdc.gov).

Where can I get more information on CDCynergy?

The CDC Office of Communication Web site provides information on CDCynergy (including all of the specialized editions), scheduled presentations, and other training opportunities. This information can be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/communication/cdcynergy.htm.

How can I use the information from the STD Communications Database with CDCynergy?

The STD Communications Database contains information that can assist you in identifying and understanding your audiences as well as in developing audience profiles. The Database contains characteristics and preferences of various target audiences gathered from peer-review literature and unpublished reports. Included is information about risk factors, risk perception, barriers to action, effective channels for dissemination, and effective messages. It also contains information about communication interventions that have been developed and evaluated.

Using this information as a starting point will provide insight into your intended audiences, strategic ways to reach and influence them, and assistance in planning key components of your communication program. For example, it can help you determine which variables to consider for your formative research, identify appropriate communication strategies, understand how your audience segment will respond to the communication strategies, and help design realistic outcome measures. It can also help you identify communication programs that have been successful.

The Database can assist you in writing the audience profiles. You can easily search by the demographics of your target audience. Through the searches, you will be able to identify:

• Consumer preferences (i.e., information that helps identify solutions to health problems, including opportunities, barriers, and competitors for each option)
• Communication/message preferences (information that identifies preferences surrounding messages, including the places where audience members wish to receive the information, the conditions under which they will receive the message, and the person from whom the message will be best regarded)
• Strategies and materials that best deliver the message (i.e., identifying the persons, agencies, and organizations that are credible [and those that are not] according to audience perspectives)
• Practices, knowledge, and attitudes relating to the health problem (e.g., information about what affects the audience's willingness to accept and act upon recommendations, their belief that a problem exists, and their motivation to take action)

Additional information about communication preferences and habits can be gained through using the PRIZM NE® portion of the Database.