Evaluation of a peer health education project in the gambia, west Africa

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a peer health education program among high school students in The Gambia, West Africa. Using convenience sampling, two of the ten high schools targeted by the program (one urban and one rural) were selected for evaluation. A total of eighty respondents, forty from each school, were randomly selected for participation. A validated questionnaire with both open and closed-ended questions was the data collection instrument which was subject to qualitative content analysis and quantitative descriptive analysis. Altogether, seventy-four participants completed the questionnaire for a response rate of 92.5 percent. Respondents' almost universal awareness of the peer health education program and their ability to recall the presentations suggested that peer education is an effective and acceptable means of disseminating information among youths. Over 90 percent of respondents applied the health information to their own lives, suggesting that peer health education can also have an influence on health behaviors of youths. Within the context of a developing country, peer health education was found to be culturally appropriate and allowed for the efficient utilization of local resources.