Effectiveness of educational intervention on the knowledge about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome among school students

Introduction: About 35% of all reported AIDS cases in India occur among youths in the age group of 15-24 years, which signifies that the youngsters are highly susceptible and the majority get infected through unprotected sex. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the knowledge about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among school going students.

Material and methods: The study employed a quasi-experimental, single group pre- and post-test design. A total of 60 school students were selected by using a purposive sampling technique. A structured knowledge questionnaire was administered before and after an educational intervention. The data were analysed using SPSS version 16.

Results: The study included 60 students and their mean age was 16. There was a significant improvement (p = 0.001) in the level of knowledge on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome among the students after the educational intervention. There was a significant association found between the level of knowledge and the place of living, the year of their study and the sources of information.

Conclusions: Educational interventions are very useful in teaching the students and creating awareness on AIDS, reduce the incidence and global burden of AIDS.