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News — Teens may be more likely to adopt safe sex practices if they learn them from slightly older teens, according to a program evaluated by Tulane University researcher Sohail Agha. Agha evaluated the success of a program in Zambia, Africa, in which people between the ages of 18 and 22 acted as peer educators to high school kids. Half of all new HIV infections in Zambia occur among people between the ages of 15 and 19, making teens a crucial age group for HIV prevention strategies.

The program was implemented by the Society for Family Health to reduce risky sexual behavior and transmission of HIV among teens. Peer educators received professional training in educating about the facts of HIV transmission, using messages and skits that emphasized abstinence and taught teens about condom use.

"The program showed some success in educating teens about the use of both abstinence and condoms in protecting themselves against HIV," says Agha, research associate professor of international health and development at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

"Programs like this could be very helpful in stemming the spread of the HIV epidemic among young adults in Africa if they are used more frequently throughout the teen years," Agha says.

Programs are more likely to succeed with teens if they focus on a few behavior changes, include accurate information, address social pressures and help teens develop the skills they need to make the right choices, according to Agha.

The evaluation showed that in comparison with teens who had not received the peer education, those who had were:- More likely to have heard about abstinence and the utility of abstinence in preventing HIV transmission - More likely to believe that it is normal for a woman or a man to propose abstinence- More likely to approve of condom use and to believe it is normal for both women and men to request a condom- More likely to have heard of HIV and to believe that it is possible for a person who looks healthy to have HIV- However, they were less likely to report multiple sexual partners.

The study appears in the May issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, available on-line at: