Effects of peer-education intervention on condom use in high-risk heterosexual male university students in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Male university students are vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) due to inconsistent condom use. Programs for reducing sexual risk behavior developed on psychological theories and consistent with the needs of this population are scarce. The study tested efficacy of a peer education intervention among high-risk male university students in northern Thailand employing a program based on psychological constructs of psychological theories, namely, health belief model, social cognitive theory and theory of reason action. Six education modules were conducted over a six-week period delivered once a week by peer educators. Primary outcome was “consistent condom use in the past three months”, and other outcomes were “condom use during the last sexual intercourse”, “condom use with regular and casual partner(s) in the past three months” and psychological variables. Post-intervention assessments were conducted at three months and at six months following intervention program. Among 133 participants (n = 133), after 6 months post-intervention, “consistent condom use” increased 24-46%, “condom use at last sex” 53-79% and “condom use with regular partner” 24-65%, p-value = 0.023. The intervention program also had a positive influence on perceived susceptibility to HIV/STIs, perceived severity of HIV/STIs, perceived benefits of condom use, self-efficacy of condom use, and subjective norm. In conclusion, the study demonstrates the efficacy of a peer education intervention program for promoting condom use and other HIV/ STI behavioral constructs in a population of high-risk heterosexual male students in Thailand.