Evaluation of HIV/AIDS education in Russia using a video approach.

HIV/AIDS has intruded upon the geographic, political, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation of communities all over the world. As of April 1999, Russia has recorded approximately 13,532 cases of HIV infection. Since the costs of treatment are expensive for many countries, and especially for Russia, educational intervention appears to offer the most effective and affordable solution. A quasi-experimental design, with pre/post tests and intervention (through video education)/control groups, was used to study 20 public schools in St. Petersburg, Russia. Results confirmed the lack of HIV/AIDS education in schools and insufficient information sources from parents, friends, and public health education. ANCOVA statistics demonstrated that use of video education significantly improved students' scores on knowledge and attitudes related to HIV/AIDS prevention. Thus, health educators should consider video education as an effective and efficient tool to present facts to a young audience when they face constraints of shortage of funds, lack of trained teachers, and scarcity of related information.