Authors : O. Olasehinde-Williams, S.A. Onasanya, M.V. Adegbija, B.M. Matanmi and T. Adegbija
Abstract: This study presents the report of an educational and nutritional initiative undertaken to prevent and control HIV/AIDS infection among inhabitants of a rural community in Kwara State, Nigeria. The goals of the initiative were to obtain base-line information relating to the inhabitants’ HIV/AIDS knowledge and feeding practices and to boost participants’ HIV/AIDS and nutritional knowledge and practices. In order to achieve the objectives of the initiative, survey, interview and focus group discussion procedures were employed to elicit data from 165 purposively selected male and female students and parents (comprising 67 students and 98 parents) in Oloru village, Nigeria. A 79-item Questionnaire was used to elicit data on respondents’ HIV/AIDS and nutritional knowledge, food choices and feeding practices. A 33-slide power point HIV/AIDS lecture on six major aspects of HIV/AIDS was presented to boost participants’ HIV/AIDS knowledge while, nutritional education and food preparation demonstration were undertaken to modify their nutritional knowledge and feeding practices. Findings of the study showed, among others, that more students than parents demonstrated adequate knowledge of HIV/AIDS education but <50% of either group appeared to have good HIV/AIDS knowledge although, local availability of classes of food was reported only carbohydrate meals were typically eaten in the community. Based on the findings, integration of HIV/AIDS, Sexuality and Life Skills education into the secondary school curriculum and more aggressive promotion of public enlightenment programmes through appropriate HIV/AIDS and nutritional education were considered critical to HIV/AIDS prevention in rural communities.
O. Olasehinde-Williams, S.A. Onasanya, M.V. Adegbija, B.M. Matanmi and T. Adegbija, 2009. Regional Challenges to HIV/AIDS Prevention in a Rural Community in Kwara State, Nigeria: Nutritional and Educational Strategies. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 6: 356-365.