title: Assessment of learners' exposure to health education and promotion at school in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  School participation and educational attainment among adolescents have been rising rapidly in the developing world. Thus, to attain Millennium Development Goal 6 (Combat HIV and/or AIDs, malaria and other diseases), it is crucial to seize the opportunity to educate and encourage teenagers about healthy choices and proper social behaviours that will continue into adulthood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to assess the exposure of rural secondary school learners to health education and promotion at schools in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was carried out at 10 secondary schools in Vhumbedzi educational circuit.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study adopted a cross-sectional quantitative approach. Data were collected from 338 randomly selected learners from 10 secondary schools that make up a rural Vhumbedzi circuit in the Limpopo province. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings showed that, 102 (66.07%) male and 121 (67.60%) female learners reported that they were taught about physical changes that occur during adolescence. In the same vein, most of the participants (n = 128, 84.39%) and (n = 152, 85.39%) males and females respectively claimed to have been taught about sexually transmitted diseases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study the secondary schools in the Limpopo Province of South Africa are making efforts to uphold and expose their learners to health education and promotion at school.Keyword: Health education and promotion, adolescents, school, learners.
authors.forename: Oni H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Tosin
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Venda. takalani.tshitangano@univen.ac.za.
authors.forename: Takalani G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Tshitangano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012424:Rural Population; D012574:Schools; D013019:South Africa; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires