Quasi-Experimental Study of an HIV Information Workbook to Improve HIV Knowledge Among Adolescents in South Africa

Brief Summary

Background

Adolescents in South Africa face high rates of HIV infection, and building HIV-related knowledge among young people is an important step toward reducing risk, improving communication, and decreasing stigma.

What Grassroot Soccer did

Grassroot Soccer's Extra Time workbook, which is a structured HIV education resource integrated into existing life-skills classes, was evaluated in a study of nearly 1,000 students across grades 8-12 at a high school in Cape Town, South Africa.

What the study found

Students who used the workbook showed meaningful improvements in biological HIV knowledge compared to students who did not, and teachers were able to implement the workbook without additional training.

Why this matters

These findings suggest that the Extra Time workbook is a practical, low-resource tool that can strengthen HIV education within existing school curricula.

DETAILED SUMMARY

Importance

South African adolescents are at high risk of HIV infection due to high community HIV prevalence and risk-taking behaviors. Increasing HIV-related knowledge may raise awareness of personal risk, increase partner communication, and reduce stigma.

Objective

To evaluate whether the Extra Time HIV/AIDS information workbook, compared with standard life-skills instruction, improves HIV/AIDS-related knowledge among mixed-gender adolescents aged 13–17 years over a six-month period in a high school in the Cape Town metropolitan area.

Study details

Study design: Quasi-experimental study, including a control group
Data collection tools: Pre and post questionnaires
Participants: 966 students at baseline; 135 workbook participants (mean age 15 years) + 343 comparison students (mean age 16 years) at follow-up (ages 14–17 years across Grades 8–12; ~57% female)
Implementation setting: One high school in the Cape Town metropolitan area, South Africa (urban)
Study period: Six months between initial and follow-up questionnaires

Intervention

Extra Time Workbook: A structured HIV/AIDS information workbook integrated into life-skills curricula in randomly selected classes across grades 8–12. Used by class teachers; no additional training provided.

Results

Sample: 966 adolescents completed the baseline questionnaire, 137 students received the Extra Time workbook; 135 completed follow-up. Comparison group: 343 students.
Pre-intervention scores showed that life-skills knowledge was higher than biological knowledge across all grades and HIV/AIDS-related knowledge increased with grade level
Post-intervention, workbook participants showed:
- Significant improvement in biological knowledge from baseline to follow-up (p = 0.004), but no significant improvement in life skills (p = 0.12) or overall knowledge (p = 0.11).
- At follow-up, workbook participants scored significantly higher on overall knowledge than comparison students (p = 0.009) and comparison group scores did not change over this period.
Results demonstrate no improvements in any domain among comparison classes.

Conclusions and Implications

Findings suggest that the Extra Time workbook has a small benefit in improving biological HIV/AIDS knowledge among adolescents and is feasible for teachers to use without additional training.

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Citation

Year: 2008

Authors: Gray D, Betzel A, Workman L, Roux P

Gray D, Betzel A, Workman L, Roux P. Investigating the benefit of a novel HIV/AIDS information workbook as a teaching aid in a school life-skills program in the Western Cape, South Africa [presentation]; 2008.