WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Manish Saraswat*

ABSTRACT

Background: Adolescents remain a high-risk group for HIV/AIDS due to insufficient knowledge, prevailing misconceptions, and limited access to structured health education. In India, especially in non-metropolitan regions like Jodhpur, there is a critical need for effective awareness programs targeting school-aged youth. Objective: To evaluate the impact of a structured teaching programme on improving knowledge about HIV/AIDS among adolescents in senior secondary schools in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Methods: A pre-experimental, one-group pre-test and post-test design was employed. A total of 100 students from classes XI and XII were selected through convenience sampling. Participants completed a validated, 30-item knowledge questionnaire before and seven days after attending a structured 45-minute educational session on HIV/AIDS. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests to compare pre- and post-test scores, and chi-square tests were used to assess associations between knowledge levels and demographic variables. Results: The mean pre-test knowledge score was 7.36 (27.26%), which increased significantly to 22.70 (84.07%) in the post-test (mean difference = 15.34, t = 32.667, p < 0.05). Statistically significant associations were observed between pre-test scores and demographic variables such as age, gender, religion, and source of HIV/AIDS information (p < 0.05). No significant association was found with class level or family type. Conclusion: The structured teaching programme was highly effective in enhancing adolescents’ knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Given the significant improvement observed, such interventions should be integrated into school curricula to foster awareness, correct misconceptions, and reduce stigma related to HIV/AIDS among youth.