Published Article

ABSTRACTS

The sought to assess the effect of peer education on student’s knowledge of HIV, AIDS and syphilis in senior secondary schools in Uyo senatorial district of Akwa Ibom State. This study was an intervention research using a quasi-experimental research design with a non-equivalent control group design. The study was conducted in Uyo Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State. The target population for this study was all the senior secondary school students studying within Uyo senatorial districts of Akwa Ibom State. A sample size of 422 subjects was used for the study. The study developed an instrument titled “Peer Education and Student’s Knowledge of HIV, AIDS and Syphilis Questionnaire (PESKHIVAIDSSQ). Face and content validation of the instrument was carried out by three experts in the Department of physical and Health Education, Educational foundation, Guidance and Counselling in the University of Uyo, Uyo. The reliability of the instrument was established using a pilot group that was not part of the main study, but was found to be equivalent in all respect to the study. Five research assistants were trained and finally three research assistants were used by the researcher for the intervention and administration of the questionnaire. The study concluded that peer education is one of the most widely used strategies to address the sexually transmitted infections among adolescence. Peer education is a specific teaching practice used with good results in sexual education of students. The study reveals that sexually transmitted infections can be transmitted through non-sexual routes such as blood transfusion or from infected mother to her baby as the case of HIV, or congenital Syphilis during pregnancy or contact with infected secretions in the birth canal during delivery, sharing of contaminated items such as needles and syringes. One of the recommendations was that, young people should not be kept ignorant of their sex life. Given the circumstances of modern life, it is imperative for parents as well as tutors to explain to young people the need for sex education.