ERIC Number: EJ1313917
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Dec
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0017-8969
EISSN: N/A
Utilising a WeChat Intervention to Improve HIV and AIDS Education among College Students in China
Zha, Peijia; Mahat, Ganga; Qureshi, Rubab; Zhao, Liang; Shen, Qu; Chao, Ying-Yu; Liu, Yang
Health Education Journal, v80 n8 p1002-1013 Dec 2021
Objective: To evaluate a WeChat-based HIV and AIDS educational intervention to enhance knowledge, improve attitudes and reduce stigma among college students in China. Design: Randomised controlled trial. Setting: Public research university in China. Method: A total of 111 college students were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Participants in the intervention group received an enhanced HIV and AIDS education course delivered via WeChat for 8 weeks. Independent-samples "t"-tests were used to analyse changes in HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and stigma. Results: Findings showed that both HIV- and AIDS-related knowledge (p<0.001) and attitudes (p<0.001) significantly changed in the intervention group. The intervention group also demonstrated lower stigma scores on 'moral judgment' (p<0.001), 'personal stigma' (p=0.01), 'perceived community stigma' (p<0.001) and the 'total stigma scale' (p<0.001). Conclusion: Results show that college students in China may benefit from a technology-based intervention which could potentially be integrated into routine HIV education for college students.
Descriptors: Intervention, Social Media, Computer Mediated Communication, Health Behavior, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), College Students, Comparative Analysis, Student Attitudes, Attitude Change, Social Bias, Attitude Measures, Health Education, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A