Evaluation of HIV/AIDS prevention in South African schools

This article reports on the implementation of a school-based HIV/AIDS and life-skills training program to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among the young people in secondary schools in South Africa. The implementation of the program was evaluated for a period of two years, using process and outcome evaluation and a systems approach to understand the higher-order feedback processes that obstructed the implementation and effectiveness of the intervention. Although HIV/AIDS is a medical condition, this article emphasizes that HIV/AIDS prevention is interrelated with the psychosocial context within the community. Interventions should therefore be conceptualized and implemented in terms of the various levels of interaction in the community.