Evaluation of effectiveness of peer education on predicting factors of Parallel preventative behaviors against HIV/AIDS: Applying Extended Process Model

Abstract

Background and objective: High prevalence of high-risk behavior and optimistic bias among young people about HIV/AIDS is caused to occur at epidemic AIDS. Due to young people give great value to communicate with their peers and education and the adoption of safe behavior as the most effective way to prevent HIV/AIDS, This study used a Witte Extended Parallel Process Model to assessed effectiveness of peer education programs to increase students' skills and knowledge in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Methodology: This experimental study was performed using pre-test-post-test that from March 2011 to 2012 October in Jolfa (intervention group) and Hadyshahr (control group) Islamic Azad Universities. Educational intervention including 8 training session was performed in 1.15 hours during 8 weeks for the male and female students separately in the mean number of 8 people. Data were collected using researcer bais questionnaire before intervention and 15 weeks later among 156 university students that randomly selected. Data were Analysed by using statistical software SPSS 16 version and paired T-test, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests, and multivariate logistic regression Results: After the intervention, there was a significant difference among intervention and control groups the mean score of knowledge about variables, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, self-efficacy, perceived efficacy and perceived self-efficacy. Among the structures of model, perceived susceptibility was significantly predictive of unsafe behavior and self-efficacy was significantly increased(11%) chance of condom use in sexual relationships. there was no significant difference among current behaviors such as refusing unsafe sex until marriage, fidelity within marriage, condom use, compliance with security issues in a high risk situation, after intervention. Conclusion: Among the structures of this theory, perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy was the most important predictors of unsafe behavior and condom use. In addition, it was found that peer-based intervention using warning messages AIDS had a significant effect to adoption of preventive behaviors.