Short-term changes in HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices following empowerment-based health education among Chinese college students: a single-group pilot study

This pilot study described short-term within-participant changes in HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices following an empowerment-based program among college students in Sichuan, China. We purposively recruited 153 students to a five-week, six-module program comprising lectures, flipped classrooms, case discussion, role-play, condom-use demonstration, peer education, and reflection. A single-group pretest-posttest design was used. Identical nonidentifying study codes linked assessments. Paired t tests and item-level absolute Cohen’s dz described within-participant change Immediately after the program, knowledge and attitude scores were higher than at baseline, with the largest changes involving misconceptions about non-transmission routes and stigmatizing attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS (all P < 0.05). Changes in self-reported practice were smaller: the item concerning prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and sexual morality changed ( P = 0.011), whereas the item concerning personal hygiene and drug avoidance did not reach statistical significance ( P = 0.096). In this single-group pilot study, higher post-program knowledge and attitude scores were observed within participants, whereas changes in the two self-reported practice items were limited. These findings are preliminary associations and do not establish that the program caused the observed changes. Controlled, multicenter studies using validated behavioral measures and longer follow-up are needed. Interactive empowerment-based HIV education warrants further evaluation as a university health-education approach. Future randomized or controlled longitudinal studies should identify active pedagogical components and determine whether short-term changes in knowledge and attitudes are followed by sustained, objectively assessed preventive behaviors.