Prompting bar patrons with signs to take free condoms.
A bright sign placed right above a free item can nearly double take-home use in adult community settings.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team placed bright signs above free condom bowls in three bars. Each sign showed AIDS facts and a short safe-sex reminder.
They counted how many condoms patrons took with and without the signs. The study used an ABAB design: signs up, signs down, signs up, signs down.
What they found
When the signs were up, people grabbed almost half again as many condoms. The simple prompt lifted uptake in every bar.
The effect vanished when the signs came down and returned when they went back up.
How this fits with other research
Sievert et al. (1988) ran the same reversal trick two years earlier. They posted salad signs in fast-food spots and saw salad sales jump. Both studies show cheap signs can nudge adult shoppers in busy places.
van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk et al. (2006) moved the idea to grocery checkouts. A tiny prompt beside the card reader raised food-bank donations. The lesson: put the cue right where the person decides.
Johnson et al. (2024) swapped paper for email. Weekly emailed reminders kept preschool teachers on cue without anyone standing in the room. The prompt does not need to be paper or plastic; it just needs to arrive at the right moment.
Why it matters
You can raise healthy choices tomorrow by dropping a clear sign at the point of use. No extra staff, no cost, no training. Try it for hand sanitizer, data sheets, or toy clean-up. If clients can see the cue while they choose, you will likely see a jump.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study was designed to determine whether signs would prompt bar patrons to avail themselves of free condoms. The intervention at three "gay bars" involved placing a large sign directly above a container of free condoms; the sign gave statistics for the number of people who have died from AIDS in the state and pointed out that condoms can reduce the spread of AIDS. Additional signs placed in the restrooms gave information about safe sex practices and reminded patrons that free condoms could be obtained at a given location in the bar. An ABAB design was used, with a 2-week baseline, 2-week treatment with signs present, 2-week reversal with no signs, and 2-week reinstatement of treatment with signs present. For all three bars combined, 748 condoms were taken with signs present and 510 condoms were taken with signs absent. Overall, when signs were present, the number of condoms taken increased by 47%.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1990 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1990.23-215