USE OF INDIGENOUS APPROACH AND A RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIAL TO EVALUATE THE UPTAKE OF SAFE MALE CIRCUMCISION AT SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BOTSWANA

Abstract

An evidence-based study makes it easier for the policymakers in the educational systems to choose among the many different interventions that are the most effective to institute, thus saving on time and cost. This study applied the theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework to inform an indigenous mixed approach, using a randomized control trial (RCT) design to test the efficacy of a school-based risk-reduction intervention for 14- to 19-year-old adolescent boys in Botswana. The intervention aimed at promoting the uptake of safe male circumcision (SMC) among the school-going adolescents in Botswana’s senior secondary schools. The assessment results and testimonies recorded revealed that, compared with the control arm, the key intervention arm was significantly (p < 0.05) efficacious in increasing the uptake of SMC, at 3-months follow-up (3mfu).