Io. Fawole et al., A school-based AIDS education programme for secondary school students in Nigeria: a review of effectiveness, HEAL EDUC R, 14(5), 1999, pp. 675-683
Nigerian secondary school students are becoming sexually active at an incre
asing earlier age. Sexually active students are at risk of contacting STDs,
including HIV infection. As a result, health education initiatives to incr
ease level of knowledge, influence attitudes and encourage safe sexual prac
tices are being implemented in schools, but the effectiveness of these prog
rammes have not been evaluated. In this study, the knowledge, attitude and
sexual risk behaviors of 223 students who received a comprehensive health e
ducation intervention were compared with 217 controls. At post-test, interv
ention students exhibited greater knowledge about HIV/AIDS transmission and
prevention (P < 0.05), Intervention students were less likely to feel AIDS
is a white man's disease and were more likely to be tolerant of people liv
ing with the disease (P < 0.05). After the intervention, the mean number of
reported sexual partners among the experimental students significantly dec
reased from 1.51 to 1.06, while it increased from 1.3 to 1.39 among the con
trols. Among the intervention students there was also an increase in consis
tent use of the condom and the use of the condom at last sexual intercourse
. We conclude that students can benefit from specific education programmes
that transmit important information necessary to prevent risky behavior, an
d improve knowledge and attitudes on HIV/AIDS.