A life-skills-based HIV/AIDS prevention education for rural students of primary schools in China: what changed? What have we learned?
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate a four-hour life-skills-based HIV/AIDS prevention curriculum among 5th grade students in rural primary schools of Hainan province.


METHODS
The study included two stages. Stage one (September 2006-May 2007) was a pre-post-quasi experimental design; a total of 2,413 students aged 9 to 14 years from fifth grade classes of nine primary schools completed a baseline survey (1,720 students were in the intervention group, 693 in the control group), and over 98% of them took part in a short survey. The experimental curriculum was provided to the intervention group. At stage two (September 2008), a cross-sectional questionnaire was administered to 6,923 students in 7th grade classes of eight middle schools in the same study sites. There were 1,437 students in the intervention group when the curriculum was conducted.


RESULTS
Students tended to score higher in areas of HIV/AIDS related knowledge and attitudes, if they were younger than average, lived in the county seat, had access to the internet, and their parents had completed higher levels of education. Path analysis showed that, after controlling for characteristics such as family and community factors, the total effects of curriculum on knowledge in the short-term model increased remarkably compared with the baseline, and maintained major contributions to knowledge in the mid-term model. The positive effect of knowledge on attitudes was significantly improved in the short-term model as well.


CONCLUSIONS
A life-skills based curriculum can improve HIV/AIDS related knowledge and self-perceived level of life-skills among primary school students in rural areas in a short time, and these positive effects can still be observed at least 2 years post participation in the curriculum.
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China.
Wei
W
Liao
Jing-Mei
JM
Jiang
Bin
B
Yang
Xin
X
Zeng
Su-Su
SS
Liao
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002681:China; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017145:Models, Educational; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012424:Rural Population; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012574:Schools; D012736:Sex Education; D012923:Social Class; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires