An Assessment of Life Skills Used By Adolescents in Prevention of HIV and AIDS in Public High Schools in Kasarani Sub-County, Nairobi

Abstract

This assessed the life skills used by high school adolescents in the prevention of HIV and AIDS in public high schools in Kasarani Sub-County, Nairobi County. The objectives of the study were to establish the types of life skills used by adolescents in high schools in prevention of HIV/AIDS, determine the extent of usage of these skills, examine whether life skills could be effective for prevention of HIV and AIDS, and to recommend ways in which life skills can be enhanced as a means of prevention of HIV and AIDS. The study adopted descriptive survey design and the target population was 2243: 2101 students and 142 teachers. Multistage and purposive sampling techniques were used to select a sample size of 138 respondents. Data was collected through questionnaires which were quantitatively analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. It was established that students employed life skills taught in their schools in the prevention of HIV and AIDS (50%). Both teachers and students concurred that self-awareness, self-esteem, critical thinking, assertiveness, effective decision-making, and problem solving were taught. Further, 81.1% and 77.3% of the students indicated that stress management and negotiation were taught in their schools, respectively. The life skills taught in schools were effective to a large extent in the prevention of HIV and AIDS. It was also established that implementation of life skills can be improved through training; allocation of teaching materials; participatory approaches; and partnerships with religious groups, family, community, and the media. The study concluded that public secondary schools in Kasarani Sub-County taught life skills in prevention of HIV and AIDS and the skills were effective in behavior change. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education needs to introduce in-service training programs to improve teachers’ knowledge, skills, and attitude on life skills education in the prevention of HIV and AIDS.