Quality analysis of a set of curricula and related material on education for HIV and AIDS prevention in school settings.

Since the late 1980s interest has grown in the development of health education in schools. This interest has been spurred on by the AIDS pandemic. There has been an increasing quantity and variety of material intended for the education of students at the primary and secondary levels. It is acknowledged that the search for affordable vaccines may take years. Treatment therapies are still not easily available in most developing countries and their availability does not call for abandoning or relaxing HIV/AIDS education on the contrary. In the meantime health education which focuses on trying to influence values attitudes and eventually behaviours has been seen as a key strategy for holding back the spread of HIV. Education must reach those who are at highest risk. Evidence suggests that a primary group for such education is teenagers and young adults and that HIV/AIDS education should definitely be part and parcel in the school curricula in order to contribute meaningfully in the fight againstHIV/AIDS especially among the school-aged children. (excerpt)