What was retained? The assessment of the training for the peer trainers' course on short and long term basis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Turkey, the studies have reported that the age at which sexual intercourse and sexual activity starts has been steadily declining. There is an urgent need to increase social and health services for young people in order to provide them with a healthy life by changing their risky behaviors, avoiding unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Sexual and reproductive health training particularly for adolescents warrants special attention and consideration.</p> <p>The objective of our study is to find out the short and long term effectiveness of a training course on peer education.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was conducted on 237 students who participated in a 40 hour Peer Trainer Training course. We utilized two types of evaluation methods to measure the effectiveness of the training on students' knowledge and attitude. The first method consisted of administering 3 tests comprised of the same 45 questions at 3 separate time intervals. Prior to the training a pre-test was given to obtain a measurement of base knowledge, and then an immediate post-test was given to evaluate the change in the knowledge and opinion of the participants.</p> <p>Finally, 6 months later the same test was administered to measure the retention of knowledge by the students. In the second type of evaluation, the participants' assessment of the training itself was sought by asking them to complete a Short Course Evaluation Form. We utilized SPSS 12.0 for descriptive analysis, and the Wilcoxon two related sample t-test were run.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>According to the pre and immediate post-test results, the training resulted in an increase in knowledge learned by an average of 21.6% (p < 0.05). Whereas, according to the immediate post test and the late post-test which was given six month later, there was a 1.8% decrease in the knowledge and attitude of the participants (p > 0.05). Participants thought that they had fun during training, and they became aware of what they knew and what they did not know.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Peer trainers with the training methods utilized, the knowledge and counseling acquired during training sessions will be able to provide counseling to their peers on reproductive health.</p

Knowledge and attitudes of high school students about AIDS: A Turkish perspective

This study was conducted with 705 high school students (360 ninth graders and 345 11th graders; 305 female, 400 male) for the purpose of determining their knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS. Data were obtained using a self-completed questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into three sections. Section A included questions about descriptive characteristics of the students. Section B included questions about HIV/AIDS knowledge. Section C included questions about students' attitudes towards AIDS and their information sources. The percentage, correlation, and one-way analysis of variance were used for data analysis. Research findings showed moderate knowledge levels (59.15 +/- 14.22 out of 100 points) in a sample group of 705 Turkish high school students on all AIDS-related questions. Students in private schools had higher scores than those in public schools; boys had higher scores than girls; 11th graders had higher scores than ninth graders, and the methods of transmission were better known than methods of nontransmission. Scores increased in parallel with student age. Knowledge scores of students were also positively correlated with a higher level of parent education and the ease with which sexuality-related subjects were discussed at home. About half of the students believed that people with HIV/AIDS should be able to attend school and should not have to stop working. Most of the students were informed about HIV/AIDS by media. To prevent the illness, the most important role of the nurses is to focus on education and information for individuals, families, and communities

Determining the correlation between quality of life and self-concept in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between how children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) perceive their quality of life and their self-concept. The study involved descriptive/correlational research with 70 children, ages 9-12 with ADHD. Data were collected with the ADHD Quality of Life Scale (ADHD/QoLS) and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (PHCSCS). Data were assessed using Pearson's and Spearman's correlation analysis; the level of significance was accepted as P < 0.05. The analysis of the data determined that there was a significant relationship between all of the domains of the Self-Concept Scale and ADHB/QoLS and its subscales (P < 0.001). An evaluation of the correlation analysis for the relationship between ADHD/QoLS and PHCSCS and their subscales revealed that there was a strong, positive and very significant relationship between ADHD and self-concept, both at school and at home

Determination of abacavir, lamivudine and zidovudine in pharmaceutical tablets, human serum and in drug dissolution studies by HPLC

A simple, accurate, precise and fully automated method for the simultaneous determination of abacavir, lamivudine and zidovudine in pharmaceutical tablets, human serum samples and drug dissolution studies has been developed. Separation was performed on a 5 μm Zorba