PASOS ADELANTE - The Results

2014 FINAL SURVEY RESULTS

85 unduplicated adolescents were trained on sexual and reproductive health and the use of modern contraceptive methods; includes students who participated in the Pasos Adelante lessons in the high school in 2013 and 2014, plus the students who attended the HIV workshop.

·         77% of adolescents can correctly identify at least one way of preventing the sexually transmitted         infections (including HIV)

·         96% of adolescents recognize two (2) myths about HIV transmission

                 --> Represents a dramatic increase from 35% reported in 2013

·         70% of adolescents can identify at least two or more behaviors to prevent pregnancy or STI                 transmission

·         75% of adolescents report having adopted at least one new behavior to prevent pregnancy and STI       transmission

                -->Represents an increase from 30% reported in final survey from 2013

                -->55% of adolescents report abstinence or delaying the initiation of sexual activity as a                            method having been adopted to prevent pregnancy

                     -->29% of adolescents report use of condoms as a method having been adopted

·         31% of adolescents report that a condom was not used during their last sexual activity

The results are quite promising, especially comparing results from 2013 to the results from 2014.  Some of those students received two sets of lessons, which may have contributed to the dramatic increases in reported recognition of myths about HIV transmission and adolescents reporting having adopted at least one new behavior to prevent pregnancy and STI transmission.

A notable result is that 26 students (31%) reported that a condom was not used during their last sexual activity.  It is disconcerting to discover that a third of participating youth are engaging in risky sexual activities.  It demonstrates the need for more education to help youth make healthy decisions about sexual activity and increased access to reproductive health services.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1.       Present Pasos Adelante lessons during tutorial period within regular school hours.  Students are often too busy with responsibilities in the home and school homework to attend lessons after class.

2.       Provide copies of the lesson plans to the Director prior to class so that he can be prepared if a parent or teacher has a question.

3.       Present formal documentation to the teachers of the Director’s approval for the lessons, and make sure they have advance notice regarding use of class time or tutorial time.

4.       Invite health center staff to be guest experts to make informative presentations during the Pasos Adelante lessons, and pair each guest with peer educators to direct the practice activities.  Sharing responsibility for presentation of material will contribute to sustainability.

5.       Schedule lessons to begin as early in the school year as possible, because classes will be cancelled without notice.

6.       Invite 3^rd and 4^th year students to serve as peer educators.  While the 5^th year students may be interested, they are often too overwhelmed with schoolwork to get involved.

7.       Encourage male students to become peer educators.

8.       The Parent School should involve a series of workshops that focus on learning new behaviors to practice in the home, and then building upon the lessons learned in each workshop.  Each session should include simple, easy-to-remember steps for working through difficult conversations that parents could take home and put into practice immediately. 

9.       Offer at least one event outside of school for youth to attend and learn about HIV, sexually transmitted infections, preventing pregnancy and other reproductive and sexual health topics, in order to capture the students who had not participated in lessons at school (because 1^st and 2^nd year students did not receive lesson, or because the student attends high school outside the district).

LESSONS LEARNED

Youth are very interested in learning about HIV and sexual health topics, especially how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and prevent unintended pregnancies.  There is a good amount of motivation among the Pasos Adelante project committee members who are very interested in teaching youth but need guidance on how to address sensitive topics and engage youth in the learning process.  After utilizing the lesson plans, several of the committee members appeared eager to continue the project and they have indicated that they are looking forward to presenting future lessons and working with the peer educators.