Dear Ceci and Leonard:
 
You raise a very important point. Photonovelas that are just handed-out are  
a relatively ineffective and expensive waste of resources. They are much more  
effective as interactive tools where the subject reads the photonovela  and 
then discusses the content through open-ended questions in one-on-one  
interviews or in group settings. 
 
Fortunately, the 'users' experience' with photonovelas among many  lower 
socioeconomic Latinos, and especially Mexicans, as a source  of adult 
entertainment at least, is fairly good. These  experiences create a receptive audience for 
the delivery of important  health care messages. 
 
How you deliver the message is just as important as the message  itself. For 
example, in countries other than the US, photonovelas and adult  comics are 
often printed on very inexpensive paper and the quality of the  color 
photography or illustrations is poor at best. 
 
So, what is one to do if they want to increase the effectiveness of their  
programs by reaching as many of their target audience as possible at 'their'  
comfort level? For one thing, I would suggest using a decent 80# matte  paper 
versus a high-gloss expensive paper for printing.  
 
The characters and backgrounds should also reflect the real world  
environment of the recipients. The aspirational images often used in  programs by Big 
Pharma and large agencies that can afford these  projects work with some, but 
where is the evidence that they work as well  or better than real life 
representations? In my experience, they  don't. However, this can be hard to prove when 
you are dealing  with audiences whose cultural orientation is to be highly 
respectful  of health professionals and researchers. An example of this is the  
problem interviewers often face as they watch Hispanic interviewees  struggle 
to find the words they think the interviewer wants to hear (so  they can show 
the proper degree of respect).  
 
The size, colors, and length of the program are only some of the other  
considerations. A standard US 20-page comic or photonovela may contain  far too 
much information for a limited literacy reader who grew up reading  similar 
materials that contained only a few words per page or panel. 
 
None of this is news to either of you, but it may be to the  reader.
 
Best regards,
 
Paul Tracey
Learning About Diabetes, Inc.
_www.learningaboutdiabetes.org_ (http://www.learningaboutdiabetes.org)        
            
 
 
 
 
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