The role of motivation to learn and the effectiveness of a life skill based HIV/AIDS prevention communication program in Butterworth, the Eastern Cape, South Africa

In spite of the large amount of HIV/AIDS interventions in South Africa, there is still a need for effective HIV/AIDS prevention education programs. Several studies indicate that programs based on the HIV/AIDS related life-skills can cause a gain in knowledge of HIV/AIDS and change sexual risk behavior. It is also necessary to give attention to the motivation to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention, in order to have an effect of the program. The first aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the ASK program, an on life skills based HIV/AIDS prevention communication program executed among grade eleven students in the Transkei area in South Africa. The second aim was to identify what variables age group, gender, attitude towards HIV/AIDS prevention education, social norm regarding HIV/AIDS prevention education in their school and self efficacy in regard to openly talking about HIV/AIDS could predict motivation to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention. The third aim was to find out whether these variables have an effect on the outcomes of the communication program. A total of 678 respondents filled in a questionnaire assessing knowledge of HIV/AIDS and STIs and unbelief in myths of HIV/AIDS and STIs, from which 419 also filled in a questionnaire that assessed their motivation to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention. The results of this study show that there is a positive significant effect of the communication program on basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS and STIs and on unbelief in myths of HIV/AIDS and STIs. The variable attitude towards HIV/AIDS prevention education significantly predicts motivation to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention. The results suggest that a positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS prevention education, high self efficacy in regard to openly talking about HIV/AIDS, and high motivation to learn about HIV/AIDS education have a positive effect on the results of the communication program for knowledge of HIV/AIDS and knowledge of STIs. Students older than 17 years are disadvantaged in learning from the communication program, and so are males with a negative attitude towards HIV/AIDS prevention education