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GYT: Get Yourself Tested

Also: GYT · Get Yourself Tested

“Get Yourself Tested.”

Youth STD testing campaign launched in April 2009 (STD Awareness Month) by MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, CDC and Planned Parenthood. It used MTV programming, social media and free testing events to make getting tested normal and easy to talk about.

Years
2009–now
Country
United States
Topic
HIV/STI
Asks people to
Reduce stigmaStartTalk to someone
Strategy
Service linkSocial norms
Channel
EventsSocial (organic)TVWebsite
Audience
Young adultsYouth
Youth and young adults under 25.

Evidence

ObservationalPositive

From April 2008 to 2010, STD testing rose 71% and chlamydia testing 41% at reporting Planned Parenthood affiliates (about 118 health centers), with testing peaking each April around GYT. Events reached about 72,000 youth in 2009-2010 and the testing locator got over 140,000 referrals (Friedman 2014). Local adaptations in high schools and colleges were also evaluated.

Sponsor (who paid)

  • MTV Industry, media partner
  • Kaiser Family Foundation Foundation, partner
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Federal government, partner
  • Planned Parenthood Federation of America NGO, partner

Credits (who made it)

Not recorded yet.

Related campaigns

Sources

  1. Friedman AL et al. An assessment of the GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign: an integrated approach to sexually transmitted disease prevention communication. Sex Transm Dis 2014;41(3):151-7 evaluation · 2014 · DOI 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000100 · PMID 24521718
  2. Liddon N et al. Get Yourself Tested Goes to High School: Adapted Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Campaign and Associated Student Use of Clinic Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing Services. Sex Transm Dis 2019;46(6):383-388 evaluation · 2019 · DOI 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000983 · PMID 31095101
  3. Eastman-Mueller HP et al. Get Yourself Tested (GYT) Campaign: Investigating Campaign Awareness and Behaviors Among High School and College Students. Health Educ Behav 2019;46(1):63-71 evaluation · 2019 · DOI 10.1177/1090198118788617 · PMID 30064270
  4. Garbers S et al. Adapting the Get Yourself Tested Campaign to Reach Black and Latino Sexual-Minority Youth. Health Promot Pract 2016 evaluation · 2016 · DOI 10.1177/1524839916647329 · PMID 27225216

Research notes

Created 2026-10-22 by literature mining (PubMed/OpenAlex); evidence level, outcome and findings are paraphrased from the evaluation abstracts, full texts not read. No credits: no page naming an agency was checked. Observational trend data without a comparison group; the authors note data-quality limits. Evaluation sources added 2026-10-22 (citation snowballing / helpline pass): Garbers 2016; evidence level and outcome unchanged. Reuse terms checked 2026-10-23 by an AI research pass for #47; not yet reviewed by a person.

Record cases/gyt-get-yourself-tested.json, updated 2026-10-23· Link to this campaign