December 2003

Programming for HIV Prevention in
South African Schools

Study Methods

The study used a quasi-experimental research design that included surveying teachers and students. Data were collected from students in grade 9 in the Pietermaritzburg region of KwaZulu Natal Province. Twenty-two schools participated: 11 of the schools in which the course was first introduced served as intervention schools, and 11 where the course had not been taught served as control schools. Two classrooms within each school were randomly selected to participate in the study. To measure the effectiveness of the program among students, a pre-test/multiple post-test control group design was used. Students completed the surveys at baseline (T1), immediately after the course was finished (T2), and four months later (T3).

Researchers used statistical tests to determine changes occurring in the control and intervention groups across the rounds of data collection.

Study Subjects

In total, 1,141 students participated in the study, but for the indicators presented here, only the 646 students who participated in all three rounds of data collection were included in the analysis. These students were demographically representative of the total number of students in the study. The mean age was 15.8 years (range: 12 to 21 years). There was an almost equal distribution of male and female students, and the majority spoke Zulu as their primary language.

Pre- and post-intervention surveys were carried out with teachers to assess changes in their HIV knowledge and attitudes as well their perceived ability to teach the material. Eleven teachers from the intervention schools (five male and six female) participated in a five-day training course, of whom nine had had some experience teaching a life skills curriculum.

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This page updated
03 Jan 2009