MTV'S GYT Campaign Spurs Nationwide Movement to 'Get Yourself Tested'

MTV'S GYT Campaign Spurs Nationwide Movement to 'Get Yourself Tested'

National Campaign with the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood and Partners Triggers Youth Conversation, Helps Drive STD Testing

STD Testing Doubles at Many Planned Parenthood Clinics During April

NEW YORK, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of National STD Awareness Month (April), MTV, leading pop-culture personalities, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its nationwide network of Planned Parenthood(R) health centers, and other partners banded together for an aggressive public information campaign to promote testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young Americans under age 25. Today, the partners announced several results which suggest that many young people across the country heard the call to GYT ("Get Yourself Tested"). In many Planned Parenthood health centers, for example, youth testing rates increased more than 50 percent during the month of April 2009 over the previous year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four teen girls in the U.S. have at least one common STD. Other estimates find that as many as one in two sexually-active young people will contract an STD by age 25 - and most won't know it.(1) In response to these facts, the GYT campaign, an extension of MTV and Kaiser's Emmy and Peabody-winning "It's Your (Sex) Life," informs young people about STDs and promotes testing and treatment as needed. Since the launch of GYT on April 1, 2009, the call-to-action has been embraced by young people across the United States, as the campaign unfolded on-air, online, on mobile devices and in health centers.

   Some positive results from the month of April include:    --  Planned Parenthood Health Systems in North Carolina and South Carolina       experienced a more than 100 percent increase in clients (both male and       female); in the St. Louis Region, Planned Parenthood reported a 100       percent increase in less-likely-to-test males, as well as a 61 percent       increase in female clients.   --  At campaign launch, "GYT" was one of the most-searched terms on       Google, most-discussed videos on YouTube and also generated       significant attention on Twitter. GYT-related videos have now been       streamed over 400,000 times.  Thousands continue to track and engage       with the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.   --  Testing for gonorrhea among men and women increased in multiple       markets.  In fact, Planned Parenthood of Georgia experienced a 64       percent increase in the number of men tested for gonorrhea, while at a       Planned Parenthood in South Central New York, the number of women       tested for gonorrhea rose nearly 70 percent.   --  At Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, the number of men tested for       HIV more than doubled.  The Planned Parenthood of South Texas and the       Greater Memphis Region also experienced marked increases in male HIV       tests, with a nearly 40 percent increase in the region. Planned       Parenthood in Southwest and Central Florida, Indiana, Northern New       York, and Southeastern Pennsylvania, to name a few, showed significant       increases in the number of women tested for HIV.  In fact, Planned       Parenthood of Indiana, 45 percent more women were tested for HIV this       April over last year.   --  GYT09.org, the campaign's Web hub, provided information to nearly       300,000 unique visitors during April, serving as a resource for facts       about STDs; talking tips on how to discuss STD testing with partners       and healthcare providers; and connecting young people to nearby       testing centers and other resources. Tens of thousands of young people       accessed local testing resources through GYT's online and mobile       tools.   --  During just two days of $5 testing, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky       Mountains conducted 2,754 chlamydia and gonorrhea tests, compared to       the usual average of 156.  Additionally, the Planned Parenthood       Association of Bucks County experienced an over 60 percent increase in       women tested for chlamydia, and at Planned Parenthood of Illinois, 51       percent more men were tested for both gonorrhea and chlamydia.   --  An all-star collective of pop culture personalities carried the GYT       message far and wide, from Soulja Boy tweeting "WTF is GYT" to nearly       200,000 fans on Twitter to Perez Hilton's GYT video generating over       1,000 comments. Flo Rida, The All-American Rejects, Asher Roth,       N.E.R.D., Santigold, Joanna Garcia, Kid Sister, Chester French and Joy       Bryant also promoted GYT via their social marketing networks,       spreading the word and urging young people to GYT.    --  GYT Community Kits were distributed to over 1,500 clinics, youth       organizations, public health departments and other groups across the       country to provide programming materials and resources for local       efforts to encourage STD testing.   

"The results speak for themselves. Young people around the nation heard the GYT message in April and went out to get tested," said Stephen Friedman, GM of MTV. "GYT will continue to live as part of It's Your (Sex) Life, and as young people continue to carry the GYT banner forward so that eventually every sexually active person under the age of 25 gets tested for STDs."

"We're very encouraged by the early results of GYT, especially the marked increase in testing at the local clinics and health centers that participated in the effort," said Tina Hoff, Vice President and Director, Entertainment Media Partnerships, Kaiser Family Foundation.

"Through more than 450 public outreach and education events across the country, Planned Parenthood GYT's critical health care message reached more than 20,000 people," said PPFA President Cecile Richards. "Combine that with the viral nature of the campaign and the early numbers our health centers are reporting and we know we've found an innovative tool to reach teens and young people in a way that they will listen, learn, and, then, make healthy choices."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of the approximately 19 million new STDs (also referred to as sexually transmitted infections or STIs) that occur every year in the U.S., about half are among those 15 - 24 years of age. Since STDs often have no symptoms, most of those who are infected don't know it. Lack of information, misconceptions and social stigma keep many people from getting tested. Others may mistakenly believe they have been tested as part of general health care. Testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea, two of the most commonly reported STDs, is easier than ever before with many clinics now offering urine-based tests. Rapid HIV tests can provide results in as little as 20 minutes with a swab inside the mouth. Diagnosis and treatment of STDs is critical to safe guarding personal health, fostering sexual responsibility and addressing the wider STD epidemic.

The GYT: "Get Yourself Tested," campaign was launched to normalize and promote routine testing for STDs among Americans under age 25, with an emphasis on screening for two of the most common STDs, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, and also for HIV, the most serious STD. From "OMG" to "LOL," acronyms saturate young people's everyday vernacular, acting as common methods of communication. Playing off mobile and Web slang, GYT is an easy way for young people to talk about sexual health and getting tested for STDs. GYT aims to help young people internalize the risk of STDs -- as individuals and as a generation -- seeking to eliminate taboos and stigmas surrounding STDs and STD testing. GYT will continue throughout 2009 as an extension of MTV and Kaiser's Emmy and Peabody-winning "It's Your (Sex) Life" partnership to promote responsible decision making about sex.

Since 1997, the Kaiser Family Foundation and MTV have partnered on an extensive, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning public information campaign on HIV/AIDS, other STDs and related sexual health issues. The partnership includes targeted public service advertisements (PSAs), entertainment and other special programming, news segments, and free resources, including an informational guide developed especially for the campaign, and an extensive website www.itsyoursexlife.com.

For more information on GYT, please visit www.GYT09.org.

(1) http://www.ashastd.org/learn/learn_statistics.cfm, Cates JR, Herndon NL, Schulz S L, Darroch JE. (2004). Our voices, our lives, our futures: Youth and sexually transmitted diseases. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

About MTV

MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 27 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV is the number one rated full-day ad-supported cable network for P12-24. Online, MTV.com averaged 8.5 million monthly unique visitors during the first quarter of 2009 -- up +6% from Q4/2008 and up +6% year-over-year. Total video streams for the first quarter of 2009 increased 21% over the same time period last year. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Wanna know more? Come on in ... www.mtvpress.com

About The Kaiser Family Foundation

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information, research and analysis on health issues.

About Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is the nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care advocate and provider. Planned Parenthood affiliates operate nearly 880 health centers nationwide, providing high quality medical services and sexuality education for millions of women, men, and teenagers each year. We work with allies worldwide to ensure that all women and men have the right and the means to meet their sexual and reproductive health care needs. For more than 90 years, Planned Parenthood, a trusted health care provider, has done more than any other organization in the United States to improve women's health and safety, prevent unintended pregnancies, and advance the right and ability of individuals and families to make informed and responsible choices.

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Source: MTV

CONTACT: Janice Gatti of MTV, +1-212-846-8852,
janice.gatti@mtvstaff.com; or Rakesh Singh of The Kaiser Family Foundation,
+1-650-234-9232, rsingh@kff.org; or Diane Quest of Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, +1-202-973-4851, diane.quest@ppfa.org

Web Site: http://www.mtv.com/
http://www.itsyoursexlife.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment