Untitled AIDS Educational Lecture

OVERVIEW

 

The AIDS educational lecture is a school-based intervention that informed adolescents about AIDS through a lecture that is based on the transcript of a film. (An alternate format, a film version of the intervention, is discussed here. Positive impacts of the AIDS educational lecture were found for AIDS knowledge and attitudes towards AIDS patients at post-test. Although these impacts had dissipated somewhat by the one-month follow-up, a significant impact remained. There was also a positive impact on attitudes towards practicing preventive behaviors at post-test, but it disappeared by the one-month follow-up.

 

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

 

Target population: Adolescents

 

This AIDS educational lecture is a 45-minute school-based intervention, which consists of a 18-minute lecture on AIDS, which is based on the transcript of a film of the same length. The lecture is followed by an additional 8 minutes of information on AIDS presented in lecture format and 15 minutes of question and answer. The intervention aims to increase adolescents’ knowledge of AIDS, positive attitudes toward AIDS patients, and positive attitudes toward practicing preventive behaviors.

 

EVALUTION OF PROGRAM

 

Evaluated population: Participants were 448 tenth grade students at two suburban public high schools near Oklahoma City. The sample was 56 percent female, and the average age was 15.6.

 

Approach: Classrooms were randomly assigned to hear the lecture, watch the film that the lecture was based on, or to receive no program. Data were collected on AIDS knowledge, attitudes toward AIDS patients, and attitudes toward practicing preventive behaviors one week before the intervention, immediately following the intervention, and one month after the intervention.

 

Results: AIDS knowledge increased from pre-test to post-test, but then decreased between post-test and follow-up. However, knowledge at follow-up was still significantly higher than at pre-test. Students who heard the lecture had more knowledge of AIDS at post-test and follow-up,  compared with students in the control group. Students who heard the lecture had slightly, but significantly, higher knowledge scores than those who saw the film. At both post-test and follow-up, students who heard the lecture had more positive attitudes towards AIDS patients than students in the no-treatment control group. (However, there were no differences between the lecture group and the film group on attitudes towards AIDS patients.) Attitudes towards practicing preventive behaviors increased significantly from pre-test to post-test, but then decreased by follow-up to pre-test levels and were no longer significantly different than the control group.

 

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

References

 

Huszti, H.C., Clopton, J.R., & Mason, P.J. (1989). Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome educational program: Effects on adolescents’ knowledge and attitudes. Pediatrics, 84, 986-994.

 

KEYWORDS: Adolescents (12-17), High School, Males and Females (Co-ed), Suburban, School-based, STD/HIV/AIDS

 

Program information last updated on 1/31/11.

 

		© Child Trends 2003