ABSTRACT
This study was designed to determine the effects of peer education on awareness and attitude towards HIV and AIDs among in- school adolescents in Enugu State. To guide this study, six research questions were posed and six null hypotheses formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The research design used in this study was non-equivalent control group Quasi-Experimental involving experimental treatment group and a control group. The sample for the study was made up of 231 students in SSII. A random sampling technique was used to draw two co-educational schools from each of the local government areas and they were randomly assigned to both experimental and control groups. Three trained research assistants were used for the experiment while the control group was not exposed to any treatment. A 20-item researcher designed questionnaire titled HIV and AIDS Awareness and Attitude Questionnaire (HAAAQ) was used for the study. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha statistic which yielded Alpha co-efficient values of 0.80 and 0.79 for the two clusters. Measures were taken to control the extraneous variables. A pretest of the questionnaire was administered before the treatment on peer education that lasted for six weeks. The data collected were analysed using Mean, and Analysis of Covariance.(ANCOVA) The Results revealed that: students exposed to treatment on peer education have higher awareness of HIV and AIDS when compared to those of the control group; gender is not a significant factor influencing students awareness towards HIV and AIDS, students exposed to treatment on peer education have a higher positive attitude towards HIV and AIDS compared to those of the control. Furthermore, gender does not significantly influence students’ attitude towards HIV and AIDS. Also, there is no interaction effect of gender and peer education on students’ awareness as well as attitude towards HIV and AIDS. It was recommended among others that school authorities should integrate play method in the teaching of sexuality issues as this will create room for students to utilize peer approach in learning; while federal and state ministries of Education should organize and sponsor workshops and seminars for school guidance counselors on how to implement peer education on awareness and attitude towards HIV and AIDS among in-school adolescents.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Adolescence period is characterized by emotional, intellectual, physical, social and sexual changes and the individual is faced with various challenges. Adolescence according to Conger, Kegan and Mussen (2004) is a period of transition between childhood and adulthood. It is considered to last from ages 10 to 19 and from puberty to full biological /physiological maturation. Within this time frame, adolescents are affected by various developmental transformations including physical, emotional, and social changes. With these changes come many responsibilities and privileges that are different from those of childhood or full adulthood, and these aspects ultimately define the period of adolescence.
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The word adolescence has it’s origin and meaning from Latin perspective. In Latin, it implies “to grow into maturity” (Eke, 1989). The author further noted that the common denominator in all adolescents experiences, irrespective of cultural variations, is the biological change from childhood into mature adult status capable of reproduction. According to Eke, during this period, remarkable physical changes take place. Boys and girls experience a spurt in growth. A sharp increase in height for girls at the ages of 11 and 13 and in boys between 13 and 15. There is the presence of growth spurt which leads to the development of primary and secondary sex characteristics. Nworah, (2004) has it that adolescence is a period of rapid transitional or developmental changes from childhood to adulthood. It is a period when the physical and physiological change that accompany the transition from childhood to adulthood become manifest and continues into adulthood. Adolescence as noted by Unachukwu and Ebenebe (2009) cover the age of 12 or 13 till the early twenties. They pointed out that in Nigeria, variations exist which may be longer or shorter than the above stipulated age range depending on the tradition or the modern outlook of those involved. In the view of Eze (2005), adolescence is a period or stage of life when an individual gradually moves from childhood to adulthood. It is a period of muratorium when the individual is in a state of abeyance, and so requires proper handling to avoid creating conflict since the individual is no longer regarded as a child, yet the individual is not accepted into full adult life. This is a period when individuals tend to adapt themselves to changing influences in their environment.
The adolescent’s environment constitutes to a large extent certain behavioural and health challenges. For instance, adolescents who live in densely populated areas are more prone to risky behavior as a result of exposure to a wide range different characters and backgrounds of the peer group. Besides, the presence of rapid hormonal development put them into a lot of exuberant behaviours. The period is characterized by sexual experimentation which is as a result of their physical changes or sexual maturation. Ngwoke and Eze (2004) pointed out that sexual experimentation, which is the physical readiness, is widely distanced from psychological readiness. In other words, the ability to copulate may not mean knowledge of sexual functions and reproduction. The upsurge of hormones during adolescents and its effect on their sexuality makes the adolescent easily sexually aroused, and being young, some of them get involved in sexual activities without taking necessary precautions. This may be the reason why there has been a consistent increase in prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (Akanwa 2008). Generally, the adolescents’ sexual behaviour increases their vulnerability to sexual infections and diseases including HIV and AIDS.
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and it affects only human beings. It attacks the human immune system, the body’s defence against invading diseases. It damages the immune system by systematically destroying an important type of white blood cell, CD4 cells or T4 cells (Williams, 2000). On the other hand, AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a term not often used by doctors today. They rather prefer to talk of advance or late HIV infection based on the outcome of damage to the immune system by HIV. When the body is severely weakened by HIV, it can be attacked by a number of serious conditions which is then referred to as AIDS (Kawanza, 1999).
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune-deficiency Syndrome (HIV and AIDS) pandemic is one of the greatest humanitarian and developmental challenges facing the global community in recent times (Lloyd, 2004; MAP Report, 2004;& Osagbemi, Joseph, Adepetu, Nyong and Jegede, 2007). HIV and AIDS have brought unquantifiable suffering, confusion, dejection, uncertainty and hopelessness to humanity (Adekeye, 2005, 2009). The epidemiological survey of 2003 showed that an estimate of 3, 300, 000 adults were living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria and 57% of this were women (Avert, 2007). The prevalence rates among the young people between the ages of 20 and 24 were 5.6%. In 2005, there were about 220, 000 deaths from AIDS and 930, 000 orphans living in Nigeria (Avert, 2007). Over 60% new infections with HIV are within the 15-25 year old age group or adolescents (Gunfire, 2005). In recent years, there had been an alarming increase in the number of HIV positive children and 90% of these children contracted the virus from their mothers. Apart from mother- child transmission, most of HIV and AIDS patients contact the disease though sexual intercourse, and may be other sexually related behaviours.
Sexual behaviour among youths has over the years become an issue of great concern particularly with the upsurge of the HIV and AIDS Pandemics. According to UNAID (2003), an increasing number of youths within the age of 15-25 years have continued to be infected with HIV. As reported by National AIDs Reproductive Health Survey (NARHS) (2003), youths are more vulnerable to sexual infection because of their age, gender and sexual orientations. UNAID (2003) reported that half of the entire world population whose ages are between 15-25 years are among the most vulnerable to HIV and AIDS infections. Awareness campaigns, lectures, seminars, rallies in schools have been organized to attract the attention of youths. In some States, teachers have been trained to carry out HIV and AIDS programmes. Civil society organizations and the private sector organizations have directly or indirectly contributed to the overall attempt to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS. The process and aim of provision of information and education is to make youths perceive issues relating to HIV and AIDS, adopting the perception of their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS and develop positive attitude to sex. However, inspite of current efforts by governmental non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions, it seems that youths have not developed positive attitude to sex because many youths still express sexual intimacy which could carry the risk of transmission of HIV. Such may be in areas of casual sex, multiple sex, anal sex, covert and open prostitution. In other words, the attitudes of adolescents toward the dreaded HIV and AIDS is unencouraging. This implies that they may not be aware of the implication of their sexual behavior especially in relation to the contact of HIV and AIDS.
