School HIV policy is 'stuck in 1990s' SEX EDUCATION: HIV AND AIDS

Sunday Herald, The, Apr 9, 2006 by Judith Duffy Health Correspondent

PROVISION of HIV education in schools in Scotland is patchy, with many teachers relying on out-of-date information which does little to educate pupils and could be making the situation worse.

A new study has revealed that just one local authority in the country has a specific policy on HIV education: eight councils admitted they had none at all.

It found some education packages used in schools were developed a decade ago and "demonise" groups at high risk of HIV. Researchers say this could lead to young people underestimating their risk of catching the disease, as well as stigmatising HIV sufferers.

The study comes at a time when cases of the virus are reaching record levels in the UK. Yet a survey just published by the National Aids Trust (NAT) found that people are now less aware of how HIV is transmitted than five years ago.

The researchers have called for the development of new education materials to be used for pupils in schools across Scotland, to provide more accurate information and challenge the stigma surrounding the disease.

Study co-author Viviene Cree, professor of social work studies at Edinburgh University, said: "There are incomplete and old [education] packages that are still being used and need to be replaced in classrooms." The research, which will be published next month in the journal Scottish Affairs, used freedom of information legislation to ask local authorities for their policies on HIV education.

Only Edinburgh City Council said it had a policy and programme covering HIV education. Most authorities said their policy was contained within a wider sex education policy or that they followed Executive guidelines.

But eight local authorities Argyll and Bute, Western Isles, Dundee, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Orkney, Shetland and West Dunbartonshire admitted they had no policy at all.

Researchers also found examples of education packages used in classrooms dating from the 1990s, which focus on "high-risk" activities such as drug use, homosexual sex and multiple partners.

In one video the audience is told: "Staying faithful means you can't get Aids through sex." Another fails to mention that getting tested for HIV dramatically reduces the chances of passing on the virus, yet lists reasons for not getting tested: "You may feel better off not knowing and just getting on with your life".

However, even recent education packages fail to address issues such as being tested for HIV, treatments or the stigma surrounding the disease.

Study co-author Jennifer Wallace, former research officer with Children in Scotland, said: "The two [packages] that came from the early 1990s are very outof-date and the worry is that children are getting inaccurate information about what is risky behaviour.

"Then there is the aspect of the creation of a stigma on people who are infected, so there are two factors that we are concerned about." David Johnson, director at Scottish HIV charity Waverley Care Trust, said there had been concern for some time that teaching materials had got "stuck" in the last decade.

He added: "Thanks to HIV treatment, people with HIV are going to be living for much longer and are often well enough to go back to work or into further education. It is important that people are ready to welcome them and not stigmatise them." A survey published last week by the NAT showed that people in the UK are more ignorant of HIV than they were five years ago. Only 79-per cent of people surveyed knew that HIV could be passed on through unprotected heterosexual sex down from 91-per cent in 2000.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said: "There is no specific policy on HIV education as it is included within sex and relationship education."

NEED TO KNOW

THE FACTS A new study has found few councils have a specific policy on HIV education in Scotland and classrooms are relying on packages with out-of-date information.

BACKGROUND Latest figures show that 364 new cases of HIV were detected in Scotland in 2004, the highest since testing began in 1985. However, the nature of transmission has changed considerably over the past 10 years.

There is a far smaller proportion of cases among intravenous drug users, but the percentage of new HIV diagnoses from heterosexual sex has increased.

NEED TO KNOW MORE?

www. waverley care. org Information and advice on HIV

www. nat. org. uk/ document/122 National Aids Trust survey on attitudes towards HIV