A Strategy for Increasing Postrape Medical Care and Forensic Examination

Abstract

Despite the physical and emotional damage of sexual assault, most raped women do not receive postassault medical care. This article describes a social marketing strategy to sell sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) services available on a college campus directly to matriculated students (potential victims and allies). Significant results found in postcampaign surveys were that the majority of students saw posters and generally retained the information in them, students exposed to more sources of information had more accurate knowledge of services, and students' recommendations concerning SANE usage reflected their exposure to information and their perception of assault risk. The article concludes with policy recommendations.