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Mapping an HIV/STD prevention curriculum for Zambian in‐school settings
Author(s) -
Mpofu Elias,
Lawrence Frank,
Ngoma Mary Shilalukey,
Siziya Seter,
Malungo Jacob R. S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/00207590701859267
Subject(s) - curriculum , reproductive health , psychological intervention , human sexuality , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , health education , public health , psychology , medical education , medicine , family medicine , gerontology , population , pedagogy , nursing , environmental health , gender studies , sociology
HIV/AIDS poses grave risk to human development in sub‐Saharan Africa. Evidence‐based interventions that are rooted in local culture could help efforts to prevent threats to human development from HIV/AIDS. We used concept mapping (Concept System, 2006) to construct the components and content of a locally developed HIV/AIDS curriculum for use by secondary schools in Lusaka, Zambia. Participants were school counsellors ( n = 14), youth health program officers ( n = 7), and regular education teachers ( n = 3) from the education, health, and youth development agencies in Lusaka, Zambia (males = 11; females = 13; mean age 38; SD = 15 years). Concept mapping yielded six statement clusters defining preliminary components of a locally grounded in‐school HIV/AIDS prevention curriculum and the content items that define these components: (1) life skills education (18 items), (2) sexuality and reproductive health (10 items), (3) treatment, care and support (13 items), (4) counselling (12 items), (5) basic facts about HIV/AIDS (11 items), and (6) dissemination of information about HIV/AIDS (11 items). Zambian locally constructed constructs for an HIV/STD prevention curriculum overlap those promoted by public health programs in the country and internationally.