Improving Life Skills through In School and Out of School Comprehensive Sexuality Education: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation in Four Provinces of Zambia

Background: Many countries face several sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges, with HIV/ AIDS being one of them, and young people have been greatly affected by HIV [1,2]. It has been suggested that participation in “life skills” education can help reduce HIV related risk behaviours [3]. There have been increased calls for including life skills as a key component of HIV and AIDS education for children and young people [2]. There is a need to ensure that young people develop the life skills relevant to reducing their vulnerability to HIV infection [4,5]. Literature tends to present life skills as a possible solution to several social, gender and general behavioural problems; for example, it is stated that life skills can help trigger political, social and economic participation and help reduce gender inequalities [2]. In addition, life skills are also believed to positively impact deviant social behaviour, crime, and reduction of substance use [6,7].Specifically for HIV, the literature suggests that life skills may positively contribute towards reducing contracting of HIV by, for example, enhancing negotiation and communication skills which may help the young people negotiate for safer sex by making them openly talk about risky sexual behaviours and how they can be prevented [8,9]. Life skills in HIV programming include reproductive and sexual health such as HIV and AIDS, condoms, communication skills, and information on addressing gender-based violence [4,2]. Positive outcomes from these studies included increased communication skills, improved risk perception, reduced stigmatisation of people living with HIV, decreased gender-based violence and improved positive living attitude [2].