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Teachers' confidence in teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality in South African and Tanzanian schools

Centre for Prevention of Global Infections, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway, arnfinn.helleve{at}medisin.uio.no

Alan J. Flisher

Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Adolescent Health Research Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa, Research Centre for Health Promotion, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway

Hans Onya

Health Promotion Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus, South Africa

Sylvia Kaaya

Department of Psychiatry, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Wanjiru Mukoma

Children's Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Caroline Swai

Department of Psychiatry, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Knut-Inge Klepp

Centre for Prevention of Global Infections, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway

Aims: This study aimed to investigate how confident and comfortable teachers at Tanzanian and South African urban and rural schools are in teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. It also aimed at identifying factors associated with teacher confidence and investigated how reported confidence was associated with the implementation of educational programmes on HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Methods: A survey was conducted among South African grade 8 and 9 Life Orientation teachers, and among science teachers for grade 5 to 7 in public primary schools in Tanzania. Teachers' confidence levels were measured on a four-item scale (0—3). Results: A total number of 266 teachers participated in a survey in 86 schools in South Africa and Tanzania. Overall, teachers report to be rather confident in teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Tanzanian teachers reported higher levels of confidence then did their South Africa colleagues (2.1 vs. 1.8; p < 0.01). Confidence in teaching was significantly associated with the numbers of years teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality, formal training in these subjects, experience in discussing the topics with others, school policy and priority given to teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality at school. Finally, confidence in teaching remained positively associated with self-reported successful implementation of school-based programmes after adjusting for gender, age, religion and numbers of years teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Conclusions: Across urban and rural sites in South Africa and Tanzania teachers reported to be fairly confident in teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Further strengthening of their confidence levels could, however, be an important measure for improving the implementation of such programmes.

Key Words: HIV/AIDS prevention • sex education • school-based programmes • school teachers' confidence

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 37, No. 2 Suppl, 55-64 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1403494808095085


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