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To address the needs of young people in Lagos State, Nigeria, for information about family life and HIV, the Lagos State Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Action Health Incorporated, began to offer the Family Life and HIV Education Curriculum in government junior secondary schools in 2003. Knowledge and attitudes were measured in a sample of 1,366 students in Lagos State, Nigeria, in November 2004, at the beginning of the school year, and again in July 2005 after receiving a year of the Family Life and HIV Education Curriculum. Students exposed to the curriculum significantly increased knowledge of sexuality and HIV, support for abstinence, and gender role equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDespite considerable efforts, progress in the implementation of sexuality education (SE) has been uneven. This study identified six “positive-deviant” low- and middle-income countries, i.e., countries that had scaled up, sustained and enhanced their SE programs when many others—in similar social, cultural and economic circumstances—were not able to do so. In other words, they were significantly and consistently more successful than the norm. Countries were shortlisted using a validated framework and were analyzed using three other validated frameworks on political priority setting, scaling up, and stakeholder engagement. The study found that India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Senegal, Mexico, and Uruguay had scaled up (either nationwide or in some states/provinces), sustained and enhanced their SE programs in very different contexts. In all six, SE was a political priority, the national or state/province level SE scale up effort had been carefully planned and managed, and a mix of methods were used to build support and/or to overcome resistance. The study points to what needs to be done better/more energetically/differently in research, program support-tool development, and policy and program support to change the status quo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive health is an essential aspect of the wellbeing of adolescents. Therefore reproductive health knowledge and sexual behaviour deservedly attract the attention of researchers, programme planners and policy implementers working with young people. Yet in Nigeria, little is known about the effect of migration status on reproductive health knowledge and sexual activities of young people in general and out-of-school adolescent girls in particular. This study used data from a survey of 480 out-of-school adolescent girls to provide empirical answers to these puzzles. The results indicated that migrants were less knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS but were as poorly aware of methods of contraceptives as non-migrants. The observed differentials had no significant effect on sexual practices such as involvement in penetrative sexual intercourse and multiple sexual partnerships. The study concluded that migration status is a major basis for social exclusion in the study population and recommends more inclusive approaches in the implementation of reproductive health programmes.