Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiaotong University (Cai; Shi; Xu; Li); Shanghai Paediatric Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University (Hong); School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Shanghai XinHua Hospital, Shanghai Children's Medical Center affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University (Ye; Shen)

This article shares the results of a follow-up study to determine both the short- and long-term effects of a peer education programme carried out among senior high school students in Shanghai, China from 2004 to 2006. Published in the International Journal of STD & AIDS (Vol. 19, No. 12, pps. 848-50), the article includes data on the HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviour of 1,950 students from 10 senior high schools. Of these, 968 students were selected at random for the intervention group and 982 students for the control group.

The intervention group was exposed to an experience that was designed to: increase knowledge about the transmission and prevention of HIV; improve behaviour and behaviour intention to protect youth from HIV/AIDS; and eliminate prejudice and stigmatisation toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Ten freshmen (aged 18.5-19.2 years old) were selected through interview by teachers from a medical school based on criteria including charismatic personality, credibility, good communication skills, and ability to establish relationships with fellow students. They then participated in a week-long training session.

The same questionnaires were given to both groups before the intervention, one month after, and one year later. In the intervention group, the knowledge score on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rose from 21.66 to 31.72 one month later. After one year it was still 30.97. After both the one month and one-year follow-up intervention, the authors also found that more students declared they would use condoms during sexual intercourse than did students in the control group. No change was seen in either knowledge or behaviour intention in the control group.

"These results showed that peer education on HIV/AIDS prevention among high-school students is both effective in promoting knowledge and in changing behavior intention over the long term."

Youth InfoNet 53 - February 2009; and email from Debra L. Dickson to The Communication Initiative on March 5 2009.