Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher-delivered curriculum in favorably modifying acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)--related knowledge and beliefs, self-efficacy related to AIDS-preventive actions, and involvement in AIDS risk behaviors among an eligible population of 1316 New York City high school students.
Design: Students in two pairs of demographically similar high schools were assigned to receive either a special six-lesson AIDS-preventive curriculum (intervention group) or no formal AIDS-preventive curriculum (comparison group).
Participants: Study participants were ninth- and 11th-grade students, 12 to 20 years of age (mean, 15.7 years), 41.5% male, and 72.1% black or Hispanic.
Intervention: The special curriculum focused on conveying facts about AIDS, fostering theoretically derived beliefs favorable to AIDS prevention, and teaching skills necessary for the successful performance of AIDS-preventive behaviors.
Main outcome measures: AIDS-related knowledge, beliefs, self-efficacy, and behaviors were assessed among students in intervention and comparison groups at study baseline and at 3 months' follow-up.
Results: Significant (albeit modest) effects favoring intervention were observed for knowledge, beliefs, self-efficacy, and risk behavior scores.
Conclusions: School-based AIDS-preventive curricula may play a role in curtailing transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus among multiethnic groups of urban adolescents; however, such curricula may need supplementation by a broader-based prevention effort to achieve substantial risk behavior change.