Lessons from an STD/HIV preventive education project among Jamaican teenagers - abstract

ABSTRACT

Between August 1993 and June 1994, a project in teenage peer-to-peer education for HIV/AIDS and STD prevention was run in 20 school-based Red Cross clubs in Jamaica. First, 23 teenagers (21 girls and 2 boys) were trained to do small group teaching using lectures, story;-telling, games, and role-play. They in turn, taught approximately 100 learners from eleven (11) "intervention" clubs. Approximately 100 teenagers from nine other schools served as controls. The syllabus encompassed information about HIV/AIDS and STDs, options for prevention, reinforcement of social skills including decision-making, and practice in placing condoms on an artificial penis. Adults designed the curriculum and trained the peer educators but only participated in the peer-to-peer sessions for brief periods at the teenagers' request. Evaluation of the project was done by direct observation of some sessions, key informant interviews, focus group discussion and pre-and post-education questionnaires. The training programme helped to improve knowledge concerning the link between other STDs and HIV infection and the increased risk of contracting STDs when under the influence of alcohol or cocaine. Some teenagers confessed shyness to handle condoms even after learning. Participants reported that they (a) were challenged to improve their attitudes toward persosns with HIV/AIDS and (b) saw more clearly the relevance of practising safer sex and the need to actually adopt safer sex benefit from the project. This peer-to-peer approach was judged to be effective enough to be offered outside of Red Cross clubs (AU)