Annals of Biological Research
Abstract
Author(s): Soheila Rabieipoor , Lale Taskin, Peyman Mikaili3
Young people themselves have brought attention to the realities that threaten their
reproductive health daily. Researches suggest that people are more likely to hear and
personalize messages, and thus to change their attitudes and behaviors, if they believe the
messenger is similar to them and faces the same concerns and pressures. Thus peer education
method may be an effective method for training of young people. This interventional study
aimed to empower of a group of university female students in relation to their sexual and
reproductive health by peer education method. Study was carried of in Oromieh University that
be comforted in Oromieh city on west south of IRAN. First of all, sexual and reproductive
health knowledge level and needs of students were detected and based on these findings, were
designed an educational and counseling model. Then students empowered in sexual and
reproductive health matters by peer education method and the effectiveness of this method was
assessed. A total of 381 female students who entered to university at 2006-2007, are taken in to
the study. The data were obtained through a pretest and a post test questionnaire. For
assessing of data in this study t-test, One-way Anova and Mcnemar test were used. The
average score of students in questions about sexual and reproductive health concept and
sexual and reproductive health problem in youth, Sexual organs and their structure and
function, menstruation and pregnancy, Family planning concept and contraception methods
and Genital tract infections, sexual transmitted disease, AIDS and preventive behavior was
13.66Ã?â??Ã?±8.84 before intervention and arrived to 24.29Ã?â??Ã?±9.12 after intervention (P<0.05). Most of
students (72.8%) assessed the peer education methods as effective on their reproductive health
enablement. This educational method increased the knowledge level and empowered the
university female students in related to their sexual and reproductive health. Based on these
finding, educating and counseling of university students in sexual and reproductive health
matters via peer education method by health workers and teachers were proposed.
