Love Patrol Series 1: Evaluation Report

This 51-page report shares details from an evaluation of Love Patrol, a 10-episode television soap opera produced by Wan Smolbag Theatre in an effort to raise the profile of understanding of HIV and other issues in the Pacific. The medium of television/DVD was selected for this edutainment project because it has a wider reach than many other mediums, particularly given the geographically isolated nature of Pacific Island countries and the low levels of literacy.

The research reported here was carried out in 3 of the islands where the series has been broadcast: Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands. It applied a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to gauge people's overall perception of the series and key themes highlighted in the series. People's knowledge, attitudes, and practices were assessed through street surveys, focus groups sessions, workshops, anecdotes, and community documentation. The research also explored reaction to a workshop held to introduce the Love Patrol DVD and resource guide to practitioners in schools, universities, community groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government departments, hospitals, and health clinics.

The surveys conducted in Vanuatu and Fiji illustrate that the reach of Love Patrol was excellent and was notably high amongst youth and young women in particular, which are both identified as vulnerable groups to HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and are thus key intended audiences for Love Patrol. In Vanuatu, 88% of the 814 people surveyed watched Love Patrol, over three-quarters of them watching almost the whole series. In Fiji, a viewer survey found that up to 15% of the population watched the whole series, with 100,000 viewers every week.

In Fiji, 96% of participants who had seen the series thought positively of it. The Fiji survey results highlighted people's connection to the realistic quality of the show. This connection with the local context that participants have overwhelmingly identified with is "essential if viewers are to effectively identify strategies for addressing social issues relevant to their own contexts and needs." Also, the response from both teachers and students attending the workshop to learn how to use the resource guide was very encouraging, with many of the teachers reporting that they had been able to impart the knowledge they had gained from the workshop to other teachers at their school (who had not attended the workshop). Within the workshop sensitive issues were discussed, including rape, relationships, and adultery - with many participants commenting that they found this discussion valuable.

Again, in Vanuatu, one of the key aspects of the show that participants highlighted was its realistic quality; in this way, viewers were able to identify with the characters and the messages communicated. Love Patrol was also found to have served as an effective vehicle in promoting dialogue and communication, with one participant commenting: "It raises issues that are hard for people to talk about, but when it comes out on TV, no one blames anyone for raising those issues and it becomes a way to begin talking about important issues."

Also, during the month of March 2008, students enrolled at the Vanuatu Police Force College and Vanuatu Teacher's College were asked to participate in a survey which was designed to assess participants' perception of Love Patrol. Each college was given a copy of the first Love Patrol series on DVD and a survey containing short answer questions and a list of knowledge and attitude statements relating to HIV and AIDS. The participants completed this survey prior to watching Love Patrol, and then again after viewing the series in its entirety.

A number of findings are detailed here. For example, with regard to knowledge: just over 1 in 5 of the participants were able to identify the difference between HIV and AIDS prior to viewing the series. Once having viewed it, the proportion of participants who answered the question correctly increased to almost one-third (31.3%). Also, there was a significant increase in the proportion of police college (PC) participants (18.2%) and teacher college (TC) participants (52.0%) who agreed with the statement: "When a pregnant mother has HIV, she can take medication to prevent passing HIV to her unborn child." There was a total 4.5% (PC) and 8.0% (TC) increase in the proportion of participants that agreed with the statement: "Many people contract HIV through blood transfusions in the hospital." There was a notable increase in the proportion of PC participants (9.1%) and a slight increase in the proportion of TC participants (1.0%) that recorded agreement to: "You can contract HIV the first time you have sexual intercourse." Areas needing strengthening in subsequent Love Patrol series were identified as well. For instance, while approximately 80% of participants (81.8%: PC; 80.0%: TC) disagreed with the statement "If someone has HIV they should be sacked from their job", there was a notable increase in PC students (9.0%) and a slight increase in TC students (4.0%) that agreed with this statement.

As with the knowledge statements, participants were provided with attitude statements. Key findings: There was a slight increase in the proportion of PC participants (4.5%) and notable decrease in the proportion of TC participants (12.0%) that agreed with the statement: "Prostitutes are more likely to have HIV." There was a significant increase of 32.0% in the proportion of TC participants agreeing with the statement: "Rape can happen inside of a marriage." There was a much more significant increase in the proportion of PC participants conveying disagreement with "Only parents should teach their children about reproductive health" (22.7%) when compared to the increase in the proportion of TC participants expressing disagreement (4.0%). This resulted in a total proportion of 86.4% of PC participants disagreeing with the statement as compared to 60.0% of TC participants. while there was not a significant change in results, close to all of the participants expressed agreement to the statements: "Even though some people are aware of HIV they still do not use condoms" and "There are many people who have HIV in Vanuatu and the South Pacific, but they do not know they have it because they have never been tested."

The workshops undertaken throughout Vanuatu were well received by teachers, with many of teachers commenting in their evaluations that not only did they enjoy the workshops, but the resource (and its accompanying activities) will be helpful for their students. However, teachers in some of the workshops pointed out that the guide is written in English and their preference would be for it to be translated into French. One teacher participating in the workshop conveyed a concern relating to cultural differences whereby boys and girls watching the series together would be problematic. Others raised concerns related to the fact that students are sometimes ashamed to talk, especially about sensitive topics, and were sometimes uncooperative when it came to group work.

Below are the key findings identified throughout the research report relating to the television series Love Patrol and its accompanying resource guide:

• The series is responsive to growing need for mediums addressing issues relating to sexual attitudes, knowledge, and associated risk behaviours in Pacific communities;
• The continuation of the series and resource guide ensures a consistent flow of information on reproduction, STIs, and HIV transmission and prevention;
• Love Patrol addresses "higher-risk" practices that render people more vulnerable to STIs (including HIV);
• It is tailored to people in local contexts;
• It is entertaining and informative;
• It promotes advocacy, representation, and change;
• It fosters community dialogue and communication; and
• It promotes and encourages attitude, knowledge, and behavioural change.

Amongst the issues highlighted in the "Concluding Thoughts" section of the resource is "the growing debate in Britain and America which has highlighted the relatively small number of roles available for black actors on the big screen and the lack of representation of black people's lives in films and television. This begs the question: what is the effect of never seeing your own 'life' and your own people portrayed on television or on video? In essence it renders one's life 'invisible'; this 'invisibility' can create a feeling of unimportance and lack of 'place' in a society where visual representation is all-important. Love Patrol gives people of the Pacific the chance to see their modern day stories and way of life in the spotlight." That said, "[t]ruly measuring the impact the series has on behavioural change will best be monitored through annual evaluations over a longer period of time as opposed to attempting to measure it after just one series."