West African youth initiative: Outcome of a reproductive health education program

Purpose: To describe the implementation and evaluation of an adolescent rep roductive health peer education program in West Africa. The program, known as the West African Youth Initiative (WAYI), was developed to improve knowl edge of sexuality and reproductive health, and promote safer sex behaviors and contraceptive use among sexually active adolescents in Nigeria and Ghan a. Methods: Between November 1994 and April 1997, two organizations, the Assoc iation for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), based in Nigeria, and Adv ocates for Youth, based in Washington D.C., supported community-based youth -serving organizations in the two countries to implement peer education pro jects. Consultants from the African Regional Health Education Centre (ARHEC ) in Nigeria provided technical assistance in designing and conducting a qu asi-experimental process and outcome evaluation of the projects. Results: There were significant differences over time and between intervent ion and control groups concerning reproductive health knowledge, use of con traceptives in the previous 3 months, willingness to buy contraceptives, an d self-efficacy in contraceptive use. Conclusions: Overall, the project provides evidence that peer education is most effective at improving knowledge and promoting attitudinal and behavio r change among young people in school settings. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2001.