To: Author
Article Fingerprint
ReserarchID
9H25K
Choose where you want to hide AI Takeaway. Your site-wide choice will be remembered in this browser.
By the end of 2012, about 1.2 million Kenyans were living with the HIV virus; which is expected to reach 1.8 million by 2015, mainly due to new infections. The age bracket 15-24 years provided opportunity for interventions such as peer education to prevent new infections and save future generations from the scourge. The aim of this study was to determine the difference between peer education club members (beneficiaries) and non-members (non-beneficiaries) in terms of behaviour change indicators, including abstinence, faithfulness to a partner, condom use and HIV testing. The study covered eight public secondary schools in Rachuonyo County, where peer education clubs had been operational for two years. The static group comparison design was applied to guide the research process, and primary data sourced from 260 beneficiaries and 212 non-beneficiaries. Club membership and class registers were used to develop sampling frames for beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, respectively. Systematic random sampling procedure was applied to select participants and Fisher’s formula used to determine sample sizes. Quantitative analysis techniques included cross-tabulations with Chi square statistic, beta co-efficients (β), and odds ratios [Exp (β)]. The study found that 27 (10.4%) beneficiaries and 8 (3.8%) non-beneficiaries were not sexually active, hence, were likely to be practicing abstinence. Controlling for gender, age, religion, orphan hood status and schooling consistency, the odds ratios indicated that beneficiaries had about 2.6 times the odds of practicing abstinence as non-beneficiaries (β = 0.946, SE = 0.189, CI = 1.78-3.73); beneficiaries were about 3.3 times as likely to practice faithfulness to an uninfected partner as non-beneficiaries (β = 1.197, SE = 0.272, CI = 1.94-5.64). Furthermore, beneficiaries had about 2.6 times the odds of using condoms consistently as non-beneficiaries (β = 0.969, SE = 0.186, CI = 1.83-3.78); and regarding HIV testing, beneficiaries had 2.1 times the odds of taking HIV test as non- beneficiaries (β = 0.764, SE = 0.181, CI = 1.506-3.061). In conclusion, the peer education project had contributed significantly to behaviour change among the secondary school Thomas Odhiambo Ѡ ¥ O. Mwanda youths. However, without appropriate sustainability measures, such gains may be lost easily because behaviour change has a lot to do with change in the mind-set, something that may 5 not be achieved through a project of two years. The study recommends that peer education be integrated in school extra-curricular activities. This will require the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health to spearhead the formulation of appropriate policy guidelines and curricula, encourage professional development of teachers in peer education; and extend peer education sensitization to the community level to enable parents play a more active guidance role to sustain and scale-up the gains made through the project.
Dr. Paul A. Odundo, Dr. Urbanus Kioko, Dr. Evanson M. Muriithi, Thomas Odhiambo, Dr. Samwel O. Mwanda. 2014. "Peer Education and Behaviour Change on HIV/AIDS Prevention in Secondary Schools in Rachuonyo District, Kenya: Prospects and Policy". Global Journal of Human-Social Science - G: Linguistics & Education GJHSS-G Volume 14 (GJHSS Volume 14 Issue 17 (G4)).
Crossref Journal DOI 10.17406/GJHSS
Print ISSN 0975-587X
e-ISSN 2249-460X
Explore published articles in an immersive Augmented Reality environment. Our platform converts research papers into interactive 3D books, allowing readers to view and interact with content using AR and VR compatible devices.
Your published article is automatically converted into a realistic 3D book. Flip through pages and read research papers in a more engaging and interactive format.
Total Score: 125
Country: Kenya
Subject: Global Journal of Human-Social Science - G: Linguistics & Education
Authors: Dr. Paul A. Odundo, Dr. Urbanus Kioko, Dr. Evanson M. Muriithi, Thomas Odhiambo, Dr. Samwel O. Mwanda (PhD/Dr. count: 4)
View Count (all-time): 397
Total Views (Real + Logic): 2031
Total Downloads (simulated): 84
Publish Date: 2014 04, Thu
Monthly Totals (Real + Logic):
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.