Use of post primary school peer educators in adolescent reproductive health information dissemination in schools and communities

Issues: Due to cultural implications/barriers, adolescents are forbidden from discussing reproductive health issues in public. The result is that adolescents in post primary schools receive wrong information on reproduction and sexuality health issues from their peers. This has necessitated using various means to correct this wrong information received by adolescents. This is because of the belief that adolescents are good listeners especially when it involves their peer. They also understand their likes better because they speak in same language.

Disputes: Between September-November 1997, our organisations carried out a baseline survey in 13 Post-Primary Schools in Enugu State Nigeria. This is to determine how post primary adolescents receive reproductive health information plus their KAPB on these issues. Following this, 20 selected peers from these schools were trained as peer educators in July 1998. This is for instituting peer counseling services in these selected schools. Their activities were monitored over a nine months period after which a post intervention questionnaire was administered. These peer educators have not only helped in disseminating correct information to their peers, but there was at least 50% improvement in the level of their peers knowledge. It has also increased the leadership quality and general well being and self assertiveness of most of the peer educators who were elected prefects/senior prefects in various schools.

Conclusion: There is need to encourage use of peer-educators counselling as a means of reaching more in school and out of school adolescents in various communities.

Presenting author: O. Nwaorgu, 35 A Ogui Road, Enugu, Nigeria, Tel.: +234 42 258 078, Fax: +234 42 257 499, E-mail: onwaorgu@infoweb.abs.net