Problem: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is an escalating problem in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Health Organization, the disease constitutes a threat to the health of adolescents in this region. One of the countries in this region with a growing prevalence of AIDS is Cameroon, where an estimated one in four adolescents is at risk for contracting this disease. Little is known, however, about effective strategies that can assist adolescents in this country to reduce their vulnerability. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a school-based intervention delivered to pre-adolescent Cameroonian girls to: 1) increase intentions to postpone sexual activity and 2) increase sexual-abstinence behavior skills. Theoretical Framework: The educational intervention and measurement tools were based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Subjects: Participants included 60 female students from a primary school in Buea, Cameroon. Methods: A pretest/posttest quasi-experimental design was used. Students received a pretest measuring intentions and behavior skills before an educational intervention. A posttest was then administered to measure the same variables as in the pretest. Exact paired t-tests were used to compare pretest and posttest scores. Effect sizes and confidence intervals were also estimated for each of the two dependent variables. The alpha level was set a priori at 0.05. Results: The intervention was effective in increasing intentions to postpone sexual activity (t=3.40; p<.05) and sexual-abstinence behavior skills (t=4.51; p<.05). Effect sizes were moderate, with narrow 95% confidence intervals (.66; CI=.59-.73 and .75; CI=.67-.83 respectively). Conclusions: The findings provide a basis for a large randomized community trial using these instruments and intervention. If these findings are replicated with larger random samples the intervention could be used by policy makers, public health planners, and community health nurses to reverse the rapidly escalating HIV infection rates in Cameroon.
Session #1187 - Adolescence & Sexuality
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)