Evaluation of a School-based Reproductive Health Education Program in Rural South Western, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

This quasi-experimental study compared the relative efficacy of teacher instructions alone, peer education alone, and a combination of these two on reproductive health knowledge, attitude, perceived self-efficacy and sexual practices among secondary schools students in the lbarapa district of Southwestern Nigeria. 1 baseline questionnaire was administered to a systematic sample of students ill four schools that were randomized into four rrearment arms: teacher instructions alone (E'l), peer education alone (E2). combination of teacher instruction and peer education (E3). and control, The results were used to design the contents of the interventions, which were implemented for one academic session. A follow-up survey using the same sampling procedures as baseline was conducted to measure the outcome of the intervention. The control group had superior reproductive health knowledge at baseline. By follow-up survey however, all three intervention schools showed significant knowledge ga.ins, while the control school students' me-an score increased slightly. Increase in knowledge '''IS greatest among E3 (+5.0 points), followed by E2 (+3.4), EI (+1.4) and C (0.3). ']11C intervention schools showed a significant positive shift in attitude towards use of contraceptives with mean increase of 0.6, 0.5, and 0.9 points in E I, E2 and E3 respectively. Scores that measured the students' perceived self-efficacy for safe sex increased significantly among E1 (fmm 10.8 to 11.8) and E3 (from 10.4 to 12.6). Reported condom use was significantly higher among E2 (from 16.7 % to 62.8%) (pO.05).