The Effect and Acceptability of an HIV Education Intervention for Adolescents With Intellectual Disability in Uganda: A Quasi-Experimental Study

AIDS Educ Prev. 2024 Dec;36(6):415-427. doi: 10.1521/aeap.2024.36.6.415.

Abstract

Adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) are often deficient in knowledge about HIV/AIDS. This pilot study evaluated the impact and acceptability of an HIV education intervention for adolescents with mild-to-moderate ID delivered in a peri-urban setting in Uganda. This quasi-experimental study involved 60 adolescents with mild to moderate ID evenly split between the intervention and control groups. Data were collected using a questionnaire that included sociodemographic information, HIV knowledge and attitudes, and acceptability measures, administered at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 3 months later. Approximately 53.3% of the participants were male, and 50% had mild ID. Immediately post-intervention, the intervention group reported a significantly higher increase in HIV knowledge (8.5 vs. -0.2, p < .001) and attitudes (3.9 vs. 0.1, p < .001) than the control group. A similar significant increase was maintained at 3 months post-intervention. These findings show that tailored education programs can improve HIV knowledge and attitudes in adolescents with ID.

Keywords: HIV; adolescents; health education; health knowledge and attitudes; intellectual disability.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Female
  • HIV Infections* / psychology
  • Health Education / methods
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Humans
  • Intellectual Disability*
  • Male
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / psychology
  • Pilot Projects
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Uganda
  • Young Adult