Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104179

Fenqui Wang¹, Jianzhong Chen², Qian Geng, MEd², Lisa M. Mueller, MA², and Gregoria Lyssikatos, MA². (1) Department of Education, Harbin Normal University, NO STREET ADDRESS, Heilonjiang, China, (2) PATH, 1800 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006, 202-822-0033, glyssikatos@path-dc.org

The China Youth Reproductive Health Project is being conducted in 15 sites, including Shangcai County, China, where HIV-prevalence rates are high due to blood donation practices. One project intervention is providing youth in different settings with participatory life-planning skills (LPS) education, covering topics from values clarification to STI (including HIV) prevention to planning for the future. An intervention study was undertaken among grade one students in three Shangcai senior high schools with similar student academic levels. Baseline and end line quantitative surveys were conducted among youth to determine the impact of LPS education on their knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors related to sexual and reproductive health. The study also considered whether the addition of peer education (PE) affected impact. For nearly all questions on knowledge of reproductive health issues, the correct answer rates among the intervention group were significantly higher than the control group. Students from the intervention group were also more comfortable with the developmental changes they were experiencing. The attitude of students in the intervention group toward people living with HIV and AIDS also showed much improvement—for example, students who received the intervention were 2.2 times more willing to go to the home of an HIV-positive person than those in the control group. With relation to behaviors, the intervention group tended to report engaging in fewer intimate behaviors. Generally, the combination of LPS with PE had an increased impact on students. Detailed results will be shared. Currently, study results are being used to expand project work.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session participants will be able to

• Describe the changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors sexual and reproductive health education incorporating life-skills training had among senior high school students in a rural area of China.
• Identify the most effective training model for sexual and reproductive health education among school students.
• Apply lessons learned from the evaluation results in Shangcai county to adolescent reproductive health education programs in similar settings.

Keywords: Youth, School-Based Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.