title: Medical students as sexual health peer educators: who benefits more?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A prospective study was conducted to evaluate the impact of an educational reproductive health program on medical student peer educators and the secondary school pupils whom they taught.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Marseille School of Medicine and ten public secondary schools participated in the study. Medical students were recruited and trained as peer educators to promote sexual health in the secondary schools. The medical students and secondary school pupils were evaluated before and after education program. The main outcome measure was the sexual health knowledge score on a 20-item questionnaire (maximum score 20).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 3350 students attended the peer-led course conducted by 107 medical students. The medical students' score increased significantly before and after the course (from 15.2 ± 1.8 to 18.3 ± 0.9; p < 0.001). The knowledge score of the pupils increased (from 7.8 ± 4 to 13.5 ± 4.4; p < 0.001). The girls' score was significantly higher than the boys' score after the course, but not before (14.5 ± 3.3 vs 12.5 ± 4.6; p < 0.001). Prior to the course, the score among the female medical students was significantly higher than that of the males. The overall knowledge increase was not significantly different between medical students and secondary school pupils (mean 3.1 ± 1 and 5.7 ± 4 respectively; p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The program was effective in increasing the knowledge of medical students as well as secondary school pupils. Male sexual health knowledge should be reinforced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Gynepole Marseille, AP-HM, AMU, Division of Women and Child Care, Hôpital Nord, Chemin des Bourelly 13915, Marseille Cedex 20, France. florence.bretelle@ap-hm.fr.
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bretelle
authors.forename: Raha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shojai
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brunet
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tardieu
authors.forename: Marie Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Manca
authors.forename: Joelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durant
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ricciardi
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boubli
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leonetti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003267:Contraception; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011446:Prospective Studies; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000193:education*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013337:Students, Medical; D055815:Young Adult
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