# Enhancing HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes through a healthcare-school collaborative model: a study among Shanghai high school students

## TL;DR

A new healthcare-school collaboration improved high school students' understanding of HIV/AIDS and reduced stigma, more effectively than traditional methods.

## Contribution

A novel healthcare-school collaborative model was tested and shown to significantly improve HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes in adolescents.

## Key findings

- The new model group showed significantly higher knowledge rates in critical HIV transmission areas compared to the traditional group.
- Students in the new model group were more willing to maintain friendships with peers living with HIV/AIDS.
- The new model group had higher overall knowledge scores and expressed greater satisfaction with the intervention format.

## Abstract

To evaluate the effectiveness of a healthcare-school collaborative intervention model in improving HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes among high school students.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 444 Grade 10–11 students from a Shanghai high school. Participants were cluster-randomized into two groups: a traditional model group (n = 299, routine health education) and a new model intervention group (n = 145, receiving healthcare-school collaborative interventions, including on-campus clinics, peer education, and digital outreach). Self-administered questionnaires measured outcomes at baseline and after the intervention.

Baseline data revealed high awareness of HIV transmission routes (91.6%) but lower understanding of non-transmission routes (75.88%). Post-intervention, the new model group demonstrated significantly higher knowledge rates than the traditional group in critical areas: recognizing that HIV is not transmitted through dining together (92.91% vs. 85.71%), mosquito bites (90.55% vs. 34.59%), mother-to-child transmission (96.85% vs. 89.85%), and condom effectiveness (85.04% vs. 75.19%) (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, 87.4% of students in the new model group expressed willingness to maintain friendships with peers living with HIV/AIDS, surpassing the traditional group (78.57%, P = 0.035). Knowledge scores were significantly higher in the new model group (9.28 ± 1.27 vs. 8.46 ± 1.27, P < 0.05). Satisfaction surveys showed high approval for the intervention, with 89.76% of participants satisfied with the format and 83.46% perceiving it as useful.

The healthcare-school collaborative model, integrating on-site health services, multimedia education, and behavioral guidance, effectively enhances HIV/AIDS knowledge, reduces stigma, and fosters healthy sexual attitudes among adolescents. This model offers a scalable and effective framework for school-based HIV prevention efforts.