Effects of peer education on the knowledge and use of HIV counselling and testing services among young persons in Ibadan, Nigeria

Although HIV counselling and testing (HCT) service plays important roles in prevention and control of AIDS; many young Nigerians under-utilize it. A peer education intervention was implemented to promote use of HCT among secondary school students and apprentices in Ibadan; Nigeria. Baseline data were collected from 1281 students from six schools and 100 apprentice workshops in four Local Government Areas of Ibadan. A total of 897 students from four schools and apprentices from 25 workshops were assigned as experimental group while 682 students from two schools and apprentices from 25 workshops were the controls. Three intervention activities were implemented: a one-day sensitization workshop for 31 apprentice instructors and 20 secondary school teacher-supervisors; training of 75 students and 46 apprentices as Peer Educators (PE); and development of Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) materials including posters and handbills. Six months after implementing these interventions; a follow-up survey was conducted to assess the effects of the PE on young person's knowledge of HIV and HCT and reported use of HCT services. Follow-up data were collected from 760 respondents from the experimental sites and 298 from the control areas using the same questionnaire administered during the baseline survey. PE educated a total of 1;917 persons with information on HIV/HCT-related issues. In addition; at follow-up; records of use of HCT services were obtained from two HCT centres situated in the experimental sites and one from the control. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and t-tests. The results showed significant increase in knowledge of HCT among experimental (1.3 to 7.5) (p0.05) and control groups (0.6 to 6.8) (p0.05) at follow-up. At baseline; 29.0% of the experimental and 36.0% of control knew of the location of a HCT centre; at follow-up the percentage of experimental groups who could do so increased to 62.0%; while the number dropped to 34.0% among controls. Records at HCT centres showed that a greater number (309) of experimental groups used HCT services than control (43). PE were successful in influencing behaviour of their peers to use HCT services

Counselling as a strategy in HIV/AIDS prevention and care : the report of a workshop; 23-25 June 1992

This report presents the major themes of the workshop; as they emerged from papers presented; and discussions which took place. The first section discusses the meaning of counselling; as well as the different types of counselling which exist. Section two looks at the place of counselling as a strategy in the overall national programmes against HIV/AIDS; and the settings in which it takes place. Section three deals with what emerged as a major component of the counselling strategy: training. The fourth section looks at some of the innovatory strategies of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in counselling for HIV/AIDS. In section five; the constraints faced by those dealing with HIV/AIDS counselling are discussed; while section six deals with the controversial issue of confidentiality and its relationship to counselling

Counselling for prevention and care : a manual for HIV/AIDS counsellors

Counselling was established as one of the major components of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in the Medium Term Plan (MTP) running from 1989 to 1993. The overall aim of counselling is to help initiate and maintain appropriate behaviour change in the general population and certain target groups. In the absence of a cure or vaccine for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which causes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS); counselling has assumed great importance both as a prevention and a care strategy. Counselling enables individuals; their families and the community at large to deal and cope with AIDS-related problems effectively

Psychosocial shared care therapy for PWAs (Philly Lutaya Initiative Model)

Finding out one's own serostatus is a problem but it is a greater problem when one tests HIV+. The immediate feeling is loneliness; who to tell next? What will be the implication to my family? It becomes another sickness. In Uganda; a self help project focusing on shared care for PWA has been set up under the umbrella of Philly Lutaya Initiative (PLI). Description: PLI was set up four years ago with the following objectives:1. To give AIDS a human face. 2. Bring together PWAs to share experiences and support each other. 3. Build working capacity among PWAs. 4. Educate the community through life experienced. Many members of Philly Lutaya have pernalised the feeling of being HIV+ i.e. copping and acceptance of the problem. Being HIV+ has been used as an entry point to draw attention to educate the community; minimise stigma and descrimination. The sensitised communities have developed positive attitudes to PWAs and this gives positive people continously upheld the morale of PWAs. If funds can allow; more PWAs initiatives should be implemented in other districts of the country