Effectiveness of Nursing Student-led HIV Prevention Education for Minority College Students: The SALSA Project

Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of the Student Awareness of the Link between Substance Abuse and AIDS (SALSA) Student Peer Educators (SPEs) in increasing freshman students’ HIV knowledge/awareness, and to assess students’ perceptions of the SPEs as teachers/HIV prevention educators.

Methods. Junior nursing students served as SALSA SPEs and presented an updated 50-minute sexual health class to freshman students. An investigator-developed questionnaire and program evaluation form was completed by attendees at the end of class.

Results. A total of 66 classes were presented by 71 SALSA SPEs to 965 freshman students. Questionnaire results revealed that the freshman students increased their knowledge/awareness of HIV transmission/prevention, while decreasing their likelihood to engage in risky sex. Program evaluation resulted in ratings of excellent.

Conclusion. The findings suggest that campus-based SPEs may be effective in educating freshman students about HIV and risky sexual behaviors.