ERIC Number: EJ799067
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Oct
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0899-9546
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Communication as a Protective Factor: Evaluation of a Life Skills HIV/AIDS Prevention Program for Mexican Elementary-School Students
Pick, Susan; Givaudan, Martha; Sirkin, Jenna; Ortega, Isaac
AIDS Education and Prevention, v19 n5 p408-421 Oct 2007
Literature suggests that communication is a protective factor against high-risk sexual behavior. This study assessed the impact of a fourth-grade communication-centered life skills program on attitudes, norms, self-efficacy, behaviors, and intentions toward communication about difficult subjects. Participants included 1,581 low-income Mexican elementary-school children, divided into experimental and control groups. Teachers were trained to replicate the program as part of the school curriculum over 15 to 20 weeks. Students completed self-report questionnaires before and after the program. Multilevel analyses demonstrated the program's statistically significant positive impact on communication about attitudes, self-efficacy, intentions, and behavior; perception of sociocultural norms regarding communication transformed as a result of the program. Gender significantly predicted differences in communication: with respect to attitudes, self-efficacy, and intentions. The results show that early intervention programs targeting communication about difficult subjects can prevent risky sexual behavior and its consequences (e.g., HIV/AIDS) and influence perception of norms and gender roles.
Descriptors: Control Groups, Early Intervention, Self Efficacy, Prevention, Program Effectiveness, Norms, Sexuality, Mexicans, Classroom Communication, Grade 4, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Questionnaires, Statistical Analysis, Student Attitudes, Gender Differences
Guilford Press. 72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012. Tel: 800-365-7006; Tel: 212-431-9800; Fax: 212-966-6708; e-mail: info@guilford.com; Web site: http://www.guilford.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Mexico
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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