To Implement a Workplace-Based AIDS Education Program among Floating Unmarried Young Workers Aged 18-30 in East China

Xiaoming Sun, Nanjing College for Population Program Management (NCPPM)

To Implement a Workplace-based AIDS Education Program among Floating Unmarried Young Workers aged 18-30 in East China Xiaoming Sun Nanjing College for Population Program Management, China Background: The HIV epidemic in China has seriously spread to all the provinces. Floating population, particularly unmarried young workers, has become a vulnerable group to HIV infection in east China. A Workplace-based peer education program was implemented in Kunshan county to evaluate the effects of the program on unmarried young workers¡¯ AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and sexual behaviors. Methods: 2050 study subjects aged 18-30, who were from 13 provinces of China, were recruited from six factories of the county similar in their socioeconomic characteristics. The six factories were randomly assigned to experimental or control group status. 50 young adults among 1050 study subjects in the experimental factories were selected and trained as peer educators. A baseline survey, intervention through peer educators in the experimental factories and a 12-month follow-up survey were conducted. The effects of the program were evaluated by comparing the results of survey data before and after intervention in both experimental and control groups. Results: The baseline survey was conducted in April 2001. The results showed that the AIDS knowledge was not well disseminated among the unmarried young workers, and many misunderstandings existed among them. Their attitudes towards premarital sex were very open, but were relatively conservative towards people with HIV/AIDS. More than 60% of them said that it was acceptable to have sex if they were falling in love. Near 25% among total study subjects admitted that they had had sex with their boyfriends or girlfriends. However, of these who had had sex, only 20 % used condom during the last episode of sexual intercourse. After 12-month peer-based AIDS education in the experimental factories, a post-intervention survey was conducted in April 2002. The results showed that the experimental group significantly improved its knowledge and attitudes related to AIDS. Experimental subjects, who were sexually active during the intervention period, reporting condom use during the last episode of sexual intercourse increased from 20% at baseline to 50 % at follow-up (P<0.05). No such changes occurred among control subjects Conclusions: The study suggested that the workplace-based AIDS education intervention through peer educators can be successfully implemented among floating unmarried young workers in developing countries with a similar culture.