Motivating Positive Condom Use Intentions among High School Students Through Teacher-Student Led HIV/AIDS Education Program in a Rural District of Ghana.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2016
Originally Published In
Central African Journal of Public Health
Volume Number
2
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
28-34
Abstract
HIV/AIDS continuous to impact young adults globally despite the gains achieved globally in infection and mortality reductions but the impact is greatest on youth in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). Rural youth in developing countries of SSA countries are equally impacted by HIV/AIDS and the major ways of preventing continuous infection and spread have been to information and encourage consistent condom use. What is least studied as initial step in the prevention of HIV infection globally and especially among rural youth in Ghana is condom use intention. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally appropriate HIV/AIDS prevention intervention to motivate positive condom use intention with future sexual partners among high school students in a rural district of Ghana. Two hundred and fourteen (214) students of both sexes from a rural High School in the Nanumba District of Ghana were randomly selected into a two-week HIV/AIDS education intervention. Pre and post intervention survey was conducted to evaluate the impact of the intervention on condom use intentions of the students with their future sexual partners. Descriptive statistics, Chi square test (X2) of significance, and binary logistic regression were used to analyze data. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to conduct the analysis at 95% confidence level. Results showed that condom use intentions positively changed following participation in the HIV/AIDS education intervention. A Pearson X2 test revealed that the percentage change in condom use intentions from baseline to follow-up was statistically significant (X2 (2) = 18, p<0.001). Results of binary logistic regression showed that perception of severity of HIV/AIDS was the strongest predictor of intention to use condoms with sexual partners followed by gender where being a male over a female significantly predicted intention to use condom with sexual partners. Knowledge of HIV/AIDS, perception of HIV infection vulnerability and self-efficacy for condom use had no association with intention to use condoms. Findings from the study show that culturally appropriate HIV/AIDS education programs can positively impact safer sexual intentions and behaviors in the continuous fight against HIV/AIDS in rural settings.
