Effects of peer education on the peer educators in a school-based HIV prevention program: Where should peer education research go from here?

Rick S. ZimmermanAlthough many HIV/AlDS prevention programs for adolescents have used peer educators to deliver risk reduction information, few researchers have evaluated the effects of participation in educational activities on the peer educators themselves. The present study compares several outcomes experienced by peer educators involved in a school-based HIV prevention program with those of their classmates to determine areas in which involvement in the curriculum had an effect on peer educators. Analyses revealed few differences between peer educators that could be attributed to the implementation of the intervention. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for prevention programs targeting adolescent populations, and suggestions are made concerning the importance of future research on the selection, training, and integration of peer educators into school-based programs.