KNOWLEDGE & ATTITUDE

O F A D O L E S C E N T S , T H E I R PA R E N T S & T E A C H E R S
O N F A M I LY L I F E E D U C AT I O N I N S C H O O L S I N M U M B A I

TRAINING, RESEARCH & ACTION CENTER (TRAC)

Committed Communities Development Trust, Mumbai,

TRAC
Knowledge & Attitude of Adolescents,
their Parents & teachers on family life
Education in Schools in Mumbai
A study conducted by
Training, Research & Action Center (TRAC)
Committed Communities Development Trust, Mumbai,

3
research team:

Santhi Krishnan, b.e, mba

Vaijayanti Bagwe, m.a. psychology
Sonali Mohapatra, p.g diploma in mass comm, m.a( eng litt)
Priya Mary Abraham Jacob, m.s.w, m.phil (psw)

This document may be reproduced in whole or part, provided full source

citation is given and reproduction is not for commercial purposes.

published by

Ms. Sara Lizia D’Mello,

director
Committed Communities Development Trust
42, Chapel Road, Bandra (West) Mumbai - 400 050, India
Tel: +91-22-6688 1900 / 1901 +91- 22-26443345
Fax: +91- 22 - 6688 1915 Email: contact@ccdtrust.org

suggested citation:

Krishnan. S., Bagwe, V., Jacob, P., Mohapatra, S., Knowledge & Attitude of Adolescents,
their Parents & Teachers on Family Life Education in Schools in Mumbai,
TRAC, CCDT, Mumbai, 2009

This study has been sponsored by the

Rajni Radhakishan Charitable Trust

training, research and action center

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 FOREWORD

T
he transition from childhood to adulthood is full of opportunities and challeng-
es. Adolescents as defi ned by the World Health Organization, is the period of life
that spans between 10 and 19 years of age. This is the period when the maximum
amount of physical, psychological and behavioral changes takes place. It requires much
preparation from the adults around these young people who have embarked on a journey
of exploration and widening horizons. It is vital that these adolescents get the direction
they need and a strong support system at home, school and community.
In our rapidly changing world we see tremendous changes that influence our lives
and our thinking. Urbanization has increased and impacted the value systems. India is
today part of a vast global community. Economic liberalization, media explosion and
technological advances have taken many adults unprepared into this century. This
swiftly-changing world puts a far greater strain on young people struggling to keep pace
with this new world order.
Young people are an invaluable resource of the nation and that their health and
development will impact their own actions, choices and behavior and also future gen-
erations. We have to take serious stock of the situation, looking at the many factors that
affect the youth, their daily living, and their family relations, health, socio-economic
conditions and the surrounding environment to be able to respond effectively and in a
timely manner.
Education on sex and sexuality in schools is a highly contentious issue and often one
sees emotional outbursts rather than responses to it. It is a subject that is sensitive but
needs to be talked about in a conducive atmosphere of trust and understanding with par-
ents, their children and their teachers. Condoms on their own do not reduce risk behav-
ior. We need to make young people understand their own problems and ways to address
them towards healthy development. This research study provides important evidence
that can be useful in designing effective strategies to address youth-related issues.

Ms. Sara Lizia D’Mello

Director
Committed Communities Development Trust

training, research and action center

5
 Contents

Acknowledgements Iii

List of Tables Ii

List of Abbreviations Ii

Executive Summary 1

Introduction 10

Study Design and Methods 13

Knowledge & Attitude of Adolescents: Results & Discussions 19

Knowledge Of Teachers & Attitude of Teachers & Parents: Results & Discussions 44

Summary & Recommendations 57

Appendix I: Tables 60

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A
t the outset, we thank all the students, teachers and parents who participated in this
study in a spirit of cooperation and openness. We appreciate the time and effort in
responding to our exhaustive study questionnaire. We also appreciate the parents,
whom we did not even meet but supported this initiative.
We thank the Principals who gave us permission to conduct data collection in their
schools. Special thanks to Mrs. Jagmohan Kaur, Principal of Guru Nanak High School, Khar
for her help and support during data collection. We also appreciate the efforts of the princi-
pals, teachers and school managements currently conducting FLE programs. We would like to
mention the special efforts taken by Mrs. Poonam Pandharkame, senior teacher of A B Gore-
gaonkar School, Goregaon and her school management in conducting the FLE program in
their school.
The study would not have been possible without the critical inputs of Dr. Bert Pelto, our
Hon. Consultant. We thank him for his guidance and expert advice during the data analysis..
Our thanks to Dr. Sharvari Karandikar, ex- TISS faculty for her support and also to Ms. Sukan-
ya Poddar for her suggestions, opinions and ideas during the initial brainstorming sessions
that contributed to the design and scale construction. We would also like to thank the efforts
of all the experts who were judges during the scale construction.
Our heartfelt thanks to all the Project Officers and staff of CCDT who lent their support
in various ways. We thank Ms. Cherrie Ann, Amol and Arun, Mr. Ramchandra Adsule and his
CHDP team for their help during data collection. We also thank Sonali Patole and Poonam
Maurya for taking on the data entry and Arijita Pal for supporting us throughout data collec-
tion, data analysis and report writing.
We are indebted to Mumbai District AIDS Control Society for supporting us in dissemi-
nating the findings of this study. We hope that the study adds constructively to discussions in
the implementation of School Adolescent Life Skills Education Program(SALSEP) for adoles-
cents in India.
We are proud CCDT supports initiatives that add value to programs related to children.
Our thanks to Ms. Sara Lizia D’Mello, Director, CCDT for her invaluable support and belief in
us. She has been a constant source of inspiration.
We would also like to thank all our colleagues, friends and families for being with us in
spirit and action.

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 List Of Tables

Table 1 Categories of Independent Variables

Table 2 Categories of Knowledge and Attitude
Table 3 Select Characteristics of Adolescents
Table A.1.1 to Table A.1.8 Adolescents’ knowledge on Physical changes during Adolescence
Table A.2.1 to Table A.2.5 Adolescents’ Awareness on sex and sexuality
Table A.3.1 to Table A.3.9 Adolescents’ knowledge on HIV/AIDS and STI
Table A.4.1 to Table A.4.6 Adolescents’ knowledge on Symptoms of STI
Table A.5.1 to Table A.5.4 Adolescents’ knowledge on Sexual Abuse
Table A.6.1 to Table A.6.4 Adolescents’ knowledge on Masturbation
Table A.7.1 to Table A.7.4 Adolescents’ knowledge on Menstruation and Pregnancy
Table A.8.1 to Table A.8.4 Adolescents’ Incorrect Knowledge
Table A.9.1 to Table A.9.4 Adolescents’ Attitude towards Learning about Sex and Sexuality
Table A.10.1 to Table A.10.3 Adolescents’ Attitude towards Abstinence
Table A.11.1 to Table A.11.6 Adolescents’ Attitude towards Stigma related to HIV/AIDS
Table A.12.1 to Table A.12.3 Adolescents’ Attitude towards Peer Pressure
Table A.13.1 to Table A.13.5 Adolescents’ Attitude towards Myths and Misconceptions
Table A.14.1 to Table A.14.5 Adolescents’ Attitude towards Stereotypes about Boys and Girls
Table B.1.3 to B.1.10 Teachers Knowledge on Physical changes during adolescence
Table B.2.1 to B.2.8 Teachers Knowledge on STI, HIV/AIDS and routes of transmission
Table B.3.2 Teachers Knowledge on Sexual Abuse
Table B.4.1 to B.4.3 Teachers Knowledge on Types of Sexuality,
Menstruation and Pregnancy
Table B. 5.1 Incorrect Knowledge amongst Teachers
Table B. 6.2 Teachers Attitude towards Impact of FLE
Table B.7.1 Teachers Attitude towards Stigma Related to HIV
Table B. 8.1 Teachers Attitude towards Gender Roles
and Stereotypes about girls and boys
Table B. 9.1 to B.9.2 Teachers Attitude towards Students in Relationships
Table B.11.1 to B. 11.3 Teachers Attitude towards Responsibility and Contents of FLE
Table C.1.1 Parents’ Attitude towards Outcome of FLE
Table C.1.2 Parents’ Attitude towards Stigma related to HIV/AIDS
Table C.1.3 Parents’ Attitude towards Stereotypes about girls and boys
Table C.1.4 Parents’ Attitude towards Students in Relationships

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 List of Abbreviations

AEP Adolescent Education Programme

AIDS Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome
APEP AIDS Prevention and Education Programme
ARSH Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health
CCDT Committed Communities Development Trust
FLE Family Life Education
HIV Human Immuno Deficiency Virus
KAP Knowledge, Attitude and Practice
MDACS Mumbai District AIDS Control Society
NACO National AIDS Control Organization
NACP National AIDS Control Programme
NFHS 3 National Family Health Survey 3
PLHA People Living with HIV and AIDS
PTA Parents Teachers Association
RTI Reproductive Tract Infection
SALSEP School Adolescent Life Skill Education Programme
SCERT State Council for Education Research and Training
SRH Sexual and Reproductive Health
STI Sexually Transmitted Infections
TRAC Training, Research and Action Center
WHO- World Health Organization

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 Executive Summary
Young people are the most important
building blocks for the future health and de-
velopment of countries. Every effort will help
them develop into responsible, productive
and healthy individuals. At the global level,
one of the initial efforts to focus on youth
took place at the Forty Second World Health
Assembly. At this summit the importance
of youth as a critical element for the health
of future generations and that the health of
youth depends on their own actions, choices
and behavior, was recognized1.
Adolescence is a period of dynamic
transitions influenced by the biological and
psychological changes happening within
young individuals and shaped by the socio-
cultural milieu that they live in. In any indi-
vidual’s life, the experiences and decisions
of this ‘growing up’ phase largely mould
her/his future. Adolescence is also a critical
juncture in the lifelong process of reproduc-
tive health. Yet, during this important time
of physical, emotional and social develop-
ment, young people’s reproductive health
needs often are ignored or go unmet 2.
Youth frequently lack access to the
information, education and services that
could help them make sound choices and
informed decisions that could impact their
future. This lack of access is often because
adults have a difficult time coming to terms
with the reality of adolescent sexuality. As
a result, young people make the transition
from childhood to adulthood unaware, un-
informed and unprotected from unplanned
pregnancy, sexually transmitted infection
10
(STI) and HIV/AIDS3.
In recent times, with the alarming
spread of HIV/AIDS across the world, dis-
cussions about prevention efforts amongst
young people have intensified. Globally, it is
estimated that HIV has infected 2.3 million
children under the age of 15 and 10 million
youth between the ages of 15 and 24, the ma-
jority of which are female4. In India, the Na-
tional AIDS Control Policy (NACP III) notes
that “over the years the virus has moved
from urban to rural and from high risk to
general population disproportionately af-
fecting women and the youth”.
Almost 23% of India’s population con-
sists of young people in the age group 13-24
years5. A rising trend in early sexual ini-
tiation and experimentation amongst the
young people due to the strong influences of
the media and internet on them is also being
seen. In this scenario it is imperative that
the young people are empowered with the
right knowledge and skills for them to take
informed, responsible decisions. However,
disseminating prevention messages effec-
tively to adolescents is a big challenge in our
country considering the cultural taboos on
sex and related topics, the lack of access to
correct information, gender disparities and
practices like early marriage of girls etc.
One of the early initiatives in India to
address adolescents about sex & sexual-
ity and HIV/AIDS took place in the State of
Maharashtra where the AIDS Prevention
Education Programme later renamed as
School Adolescence Life Skills Education
training, research and action center
Programme (SALSEP) for IX and XI standard
students was introduced in 1993. Though
the programme was initially scaled up and
spread to other states, serious reservations
against it caused it to be banned in many
states including Maharashtra. The debate
still continues about the appropriateness of
providing Family Life Education to adoles-
cents as a part of their schooling.
Considering the fact that a number of
studies have recently shown an increasing
tendency amongst youth to indulge in risky
sexual behavior 6 and the paucity of reli-
able accurate sources of information for the
adolescents to access, it is critical that we
reconsider the arguments against sex edu-
cation and base our decisions on a thorough
understanding of the issues, critical analy-
sis of the implications and the needs and
views of the adolescents, teachers, schools
and parents.
This study on the Knowledge & Attitude of
Adolescents, their Parents & Teachers on
Family Life Education in Schools provides
conclusive, scientific evidence in order to
answer the following questions:
Should Family Life Education for adoles-
cents be a part of the school curriculum?
Does Family Life Education lead to respon-
sible behavior among adolescents?
What is the readiness level of adolescents for
undergoing Family Life Education?
What are the views and inhibitions of teach-
ers & parents and how should these be ad-
dressed?
What should be taught as part of Family Life
Education?
In order to understand better the impact
and implications of imparting FLE as part
training, research and action center
of school curriculum, this study compares
the knowledge and attitude of adolescents,
teachers and parents in schools where FLE is
part of the curriculum with those where FLE
is not provided at all.
Study Objectives
the three main objectives of this study are :
1. To compare the knowledge and attitude
of adolescents who have undergone Family
Life Education with those who have not
2. To understand the knowledge and atti-
tude of teachers towards imparting Family
Life Education in schools.
3. To understand the attitude of Parents to-
wards providing Family Life Education in
schools.
Methodology
During March to May 2008 a pilot study was
conducted at 2 schools to gauge the knowl-
edge and attitude of adolescents who have
undergone FLE (SALSEP module) and those
who have not. The findings revealed that
the adolescents who had undergone FLE
had more knowledge and a more respon-
sible attitude. A full-fledged research study
was initiated to cover 2723 adolescents, 128
teachers and 629 parents from 23 randomly
selected schools in Mumbai.
Following the standard protocols, three
separate scales were developed to measure
the knowledge and attitude of adolescents,
teachers and parents in 3 different languag-
es –Marathi, Hindi and English. A unique
coding was developed for each set of scales
for purpose of data collection and later data
analysis. The scale was administered to
adolescents and teachers in the school. The
scale for parents was sent in a sealed enve-
lope with each student, which they handed
11
back to their teacher and was collected from
the school by the researchers.
Results
The study clearly reveals that adolescents’
who have undergone FLE have more knowl-
edge about physical changes during ado-
lescence, sex and sexuality, HIV/AIDS and
STI and sexual abuse. They have a markedly
more responsible attitude towards sex and
sexual relationships. They also have a more
accepting attitude towards people living
with HIV/AIDS.
68% teachers and 71% parents reported
that imparting FLE would bring a positive
behavioral outcome among adolescents. Al-
most all the teachers (98%) and most of the
parents (79%) have said that sex education
is the shared responsibility of both teach-
ers and parents. However, 79% teachers and
75% parents want FLE to be part of the for-
mal school curriculum.
Over 80% teachers have said that the
biology teacher should be given the respon-
sibility of imparting FLE to adolescents with
female teachers imparting FLE to girls &
male teachers doing the same for boys. The
majority of the parents also want the active
involvement of PTAs in implementing FLE
in schools.
Respondents Profile
Out of the 23 schools, there were 10 English
medium, 6 Hindi medium, 3 Marathi medium
and 4 multilingual schools. All the schools fell
within the geographic boundaries of the Mu-
nicipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. Of
these, 7 schools conducted Family Life Educa-
tion and 16 did not.
Out of 2723 adolescents, 33% adolescents
were part of an FLE program in their schools
12
and 67% were not part of any FLE program.
62% of respondent adolescents were boys
and 38% were girls. 60% of adolescents were
from chawls and 29% lived in flats. 46% of ad-
olescents were from English medium schools,
24.6% from Marathi medium and 29.2% from
Hindi medium schools.
Out of 128 teachers, 32% were from schools
which conducted FLE program whereas 68%
belonged to schools which did not.
Out of 629 parents, 55.6% had children re-
ceiving FLE in school and rest had children
who were not receiving FLE.
Knowledge on physical changes
during adolescence
Both boys and girls who received FLE had
higher knowledge about changes during ado-
lescence than those who did not.
Boys had significantly higher knowledge
than girls about changes in boys during ado-
lescence. Girls did not show any higher knowl-
edge than boys about changes in girls during
adolescence.
Boys from higher socio economic back-
ground had more knowledge about changes
during adolescence than others.
The trend shows that the teachers from
schools imparting FLE knew more about the
changes in boys and girls during adolescence
than others.
Marathi medium teachers had much higher
knowledge than those of the English medium
and Hindi medium schools. Teachers aged
above 45 years with over 15 years of teaching
experience knew more about changes during
adolescence.
Knowledge on Sex and Sexuality
Boys had significantly higher knowledge
than girls about sex and sexuality. Interest-
training, research and action center
ingly, younger boys had higher knowledge in-
dicating that boys start becoming aware and
accessing information at a younger age.
Older girls had slightly better knowledge
than younger girls though overall their knowl-
edge was lower than that of boys.
Girls from English medium knew more about
sex and sexuality than those from Marathi and
Hindi medium schools. The medium of in-
struction did not affect the knowledge of boys.
Surprisingly, being part of FLE programme
did not significantly influence the adoles-
cents’ knowledge about sex and sexuality.
This could be because this topic may not have
been adequately covered by the schools in
which FLE was imparted. Also, boys seem to
receive information from other sources like
friends, magazines and the media. However,
receiving FLE significantly reduced the incor-
rect knowledge of boys on sex and sexuality.
Boys had significantly higher knowledge
than girls about masturbation. Boys knew
about masturbation irrespective of their age,
language and socio-economic status. More
importantly, they knew about it irrespective
of whether it was covered under the FLE pro-
gramme or not.
Teachers’ from schools imparting FLE had
more knowledge about different types of sexu-
ality. They were also less likely to have incor-
rect knowledge and misunderstandings such
as ‘HIV and AIDS are the same’.
Female teachers had predominantly higher
knowledge than male teachers about different
types of sexuality.
Knowledge about sexual abuse
Girls knew less about sexual abuse than
boys. 34.5% of the boys had high knowledge
of the same as compared to only 28.4% of the
girls. Only 18% boys had low knowledge as
training, research and action center
compared to 30.6% of the girls.
Boys gain significant knowledge by being
part of the FLE programme whereas it does
not influence the knowledge level of girls in
this regard. However, amongst the girls, Eng-
lish medium students knew more than the
Marathi and Hindi medium students.
Teachers from schools imparting FLE had
more knowledge about sexual abuse than oth-
ers. Teachers from other schools had signifi-
cantly lower knowledge.
Hindi medium teachers had very low knowl-
edge about sexual abuse.
Knowledge on HIV/AIDS & STI
Both boys and girls who received FLE had
significantly higher knowledge about HIV/
AIDS and routes of transmission than those
who did not receive FLE.
Boys had significantly higher knowledge
than girls with boys from higher socio eco-
nomic background knowing more than other
boys.
Girls from English medium schools knew
more than those from Marathi and Hindi me-
dium schools.
Boys had more knowledge about STI in men
and girls had more knowledge about STI in
women.
Adolescents from Hindi Medium schools
knew more about symptoms of STI than those
from English and Marathi Medium schools.
Teachers from schools imparting FLE were
more aware about the routes of transmission
of HIV and other facts related to HIV/AIDS
and STI.
Teachers with over 15 years of experience
had more knowledge about routes of HIV
transmission and STI.
Like adolescents from Hindi medium
schools, teachers from Hindi medium schools
13
also had more knowledge about symptoms of
STI in men and women. They also knew more
facts about STI and HIV/AIDS.
Knowledge on menstruation & pregnancy
Being part of the FLE programme strongly
influenced the knowledge of boys about men-
struation and pregnancy, whereas girls knew
about it irrespective.
Older girls had higher knowledge than
younger girls. Again girls from English medi-
um schools knew more than those from Mara-
thi and Hindi medium schools.
Boys from a higher socio economic back-
ground knew more than the boys from a lower
socio-economic background.
Interestingly, menstruation and pregnancy
were the only topics in which girls had signifi-
cantly higher knowledge than boys.
Female teachers from schools imparting FLE
had more knowledge about menstruation
and pregnancy.
Teachers from Marathi medium schools had
significantly higher knowledge than others.
Attitude towards learning about sex
and sexuality
Boys and girls who have undergone FLE had
a more favorable attitude towards learning
about sex and sexuality.
Adolescents who have received FLE did not
think that learning about sex would lead to
their having sex with their boyfriends or girl-
friends.
Boys from Marathi medium schools had
more favorable attitude than boys from Eng-
lish and Hindi medium schools.
Being part of FLE programme significantly
influenced the attitude of boys and girls to-
wards indulging in risky behavior due to
peer-pressure. 57% of the adolescents who
14
had received FLE said they would not indulge
in risky behavior due to peer pressure.
Boys from higher socio economic background
and girls from English medium schools were
less likely to succumb to peer-pressure when it
comes to indulging in risky behavior.
More teachers from schools imparting FLE
reported that they would not discriminate
with the adolescents who were in a relation-
ship.
Misconceptions about sex & sexuality and
Stereotypes about girls and boys
Boys and girls who had received FLE in school
had fewer misconceptions regarding sex and
sexuality than those who had not. Also, boys
had fewer misconceptions than girls.
Being part of the FLE programme signifi-
cantly reduced the stereotypes held by boys
about boys’ and girls’ behavior. Girls from
English medium schools were less stereotypi-
cal about boys’ behavior
The attitude of female teachers towards girls
was less stereotypical.
The teachers from schools imparting FLE
had fewer misconceptions than others.
Parents who were graduates and above had
fewer stereotypes about girls’ behavior. Also,
Parents of children who had received FLE had
fewer stereotypes.
Parents from higher socio-economic back-
ground were less biased towards adolescents’
behavior such as a curiosity to know more
about sex and related topics.
Over 80% parents said that they did not feel
shy to talk about sex and sexuality with their
children and also that adolescents do not feel
inhibited to talk about sex with their parents
and teachers.
Attitude towards abstinence
training, research and action center
Boys from a higher socio economic back-
ground had a more favorable attitude to-
wards abstinence and delaying sexual initia-
tion than others.
Boys who had received FLE showed a signifi-
cantly more favorable attitude than boys who
had not received FLE.
Girls from English medium schools were
more likely to refrain from early sexual activi-
ties than others. However, receiving FLE did
not significantly influence their attitude.
Interestingly, boys had a more favorable at-
titude towards abstinence than girls.
Majority of parents said that FLE would help
adolescents abstain from sexual activity till
marriage.
69% teachers felt that teenagers are keen to
experiment with sex
Attitude towards stigma related
to HIV/AIDS
Boys and girls who had undergone FLE had a
significantly more accepting attitude towards
people living with HIV/AIDS than those who
had not undergone the course.
Boys from higher socio-economic back-
ground had a more accepting attitude.
Trend shows that the teachers from schools
imparting FLE discriminated less than oth-
ers.
Parents of children who had received FLE
have a more accepting attitude towards PL-
HAs and do not have many misconceptions
about the HIV/AIDS. The education level of
the parents also influences their attitude to-
wards PLHAs.
Attitude towards outcome of FLE
68% teachers reported that imparting FLE
would bring about a positive behavioral out-
come among adolescents. Out of this, almost
training, research and action center
80% of teachers from schools imparting FLE
reported the same.
Marathi and English medium teachers had
a more favorable attitude in comparison
to Hindi medium teachers. Hindi medium
teachers had a strikingly less favorable at-
titude towards the behavioral outcome of
imparting FLE to adolescents. Also, teachers
with a higher income had a more favorable
attitude.
Parents of children who have received FLE
said that FLE would bring a positive behav-
ioral outcome. Parents of children from Mara-
thi medium schools had a more favorable at-
titude towards the behavioral outcome of FLE
than others.
Attitude towards FLE as Formal Education
Over 50% of the adolescents felt that sex edu-
cation should be the primary responsibility of
either teachers or parents. However, almost
all the teachers (98%) and most of the parents
(79%) said that it is the shared responsibility
of both teachers and parents. A majority of the
parents also wanted the active involvement of
PTAs in implementing FLE in schools.
79% teachers and 75% parents want FLE to
be part of formal school curriculum.
81.3% teachers said that the biology teacher
should be given the responsibility of impart-
ing FLE to adolescents. They also felt that
preferably female teachers should impart FLE
to girls & male teachers should impart FLE to
boys.
Parents whose children were from Hindi me-
dium showed a markedly less favorable atti-
tude towards inclusion of sex education in the
formal curriculum in schools than others.
Contents of FLE
Almost all teachers( 98%) and more than
15
80% parents want the FLE program to cover
the physical, social and psychological chang-
es during adolescence.
Over 90% teachers and more than 75% par-
ents want adolescents to know about HIV/
AIDS and risk of pre-marital sex. Compara-
tively fewer teachers and parents wanted top-
ics like masturbation and contraception to be
part of FLE
Teachers and parents feel that FLE should
include Life Skills and value education
Suggestions and Recommendations
The findings of the study strongly support
providing Family Life Education to adoles-
cents in schools. It unequivocally reveals
that adolescents, their parents and teach-
ers want Family Life Education to be a part
of the school curriculum. However, the FLE
program should not be relegated as an ex-
tension of subjects like biology or science.
Instead, a Life Skills based approach could
make it more effective.
Training should be provided to teach-
ers to impart FLE in a non-biased and non-
judgmental manner. It should also include
technical skill building like innovative
teaching methodologies for imparting FLE
16
with less inhibition. Parents should be
given orientation and provided guidance in
handling the complex issues of their ado-
lescents’ growing up phase. They should
also provide a conducive home environ-
ment for a healthy discussion which would
enable the adolescents to grow into mature
and responsible adults indulging in healthy
sexual practices.
Programs should ensure that they reach
adolescent girls since one of the striking as-
pects that stand out throughout the entire
research is the gender disparity in the levels
of knowledge amongst adolescents
It is important to recognize the need
to address the issues of young people with
sensitivity and understanding while also
considering the socio-cultural and politi-
cal environment in a country. Comprehen-
sive national-level strategies need to be
developed to address the myriad needs and
complex issues of young people, including
their right to reproductive health services.
Providing Family Life Education is a critical
component in this spectrum of services and
a culturally sensitive and appropriate pro-
gram should be conceived and implemented
in our country.
training, research and action center

introduction
Approximately one billion youth live
in the world today. Almost 85% live in devel-
oping nations, with 60% in Asia alone. The
youth population in the developing coun-
tries will increase to 89.5% by 20257. In the
Indian context, almost 23% of the population
consists of young people in the age group
13-24 years8. Therefore it is imperative that
youth related issues form an integral part of
the development programs and policies at
the national and international level.
Addressing youth related issues is as
challenging as it is interesting. Adolescence
is a period of rapid development during
training, research and action center
Chapter 1
which young people acquire new capaci-
ties and are faced with many new situations.
This presents not only opportunities for
progress but also risks to health and well-
being 9. Rapid urbanization and the tele-
communication revolution have introduced
many new possibilities and many new risks
for young people. These conditions may di-
rectly jeopardize health and may also un-
dermine the traditional social support that
helps young people prepare for, negotiate
and explore the opportunities and demands
of their passage to adulthood10. Adolescence
is a critical period of physical, emotional
17
Chapter 1
and social development, and it is important
that young people’s reproductive health
needs are addressed properly during this
time. Adolescents are curious to know more
about their sexuality and are less inhibited
to experiment. All these factors may lead
them to take unconsidered and uninformed
decisions and also leave them vulnerable to
exploitation and abuse.
It is very important to arm young peo-
ple with the right information at the right
age and equip them with skills that will help
them take informed decisions. However, do-
ing this is challenging in view of the cultural
restrictions and social taboo on sex that exist
in many countries including India. In India,
adults are not always open to discuss about
sex, sexuality and changes during adoles-
cence with young people, thus shrouding
the same in a veil of mystery and silence. It is
also generally assumed that adolescent sex-
ual activity is low in India11, though many
recent studies have shown otherwise12.
However, in the present scenario, with the
ubiquitous accessibility of mass media and
mobile technology, young people get ex-
posed to sexually explicit content frequently
and at an early age. With the nation’s social
and economic progress, young people have
much better employment opportunities
and the scope to earn better income. The
conflict between traditional controls and
modern day influences makes them turn to
unreliable and inaccurate sources of infor-
mation thus compounding their chances of
risky behavior.
Educational theorists and health sci-
entists have suggested that young ado-
lescents are more likely to benefit from
detailed instruction regarding HIV/AIDS
prevention programs when compared to
18
any other age group13. Many developed
countries conduct Family Life Education or
Sex Education for adolescents in schools to
provide them with the knowledge and skills
required to develop a healthy understand-
ing and lifestyle. Sex education, which is
sometimes called sexuality education or
sex and relationships education, is the pro-
cess of acquiring information and form-
ing attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual
identity, relationships and intimacy. It is
also about developing young people’s skills
so that they make informed choices about
their behavior, and feel confident and com-
petent about acting on these choices. It is
widely accepted that young people have a
right to sex education, because it is a means
by which they are helped to protect them-
selves against abuse, exploitation, unin-
tended pregnancies, sexually transmitted
diseases and HIV/AIDS14.
In traditional countries like India, for-
mulating a program that is consistent with
parental and community values is a much
bigger challenge15. In India the first of its
kind effort to start a structured sex educa-
tion program was undertaken by the Na-
tional AIDS Control Organization in 1993.
Since Maharashtra had one of the high-
est prevalence of HIV/AIDS, the program
titled” AIDS Prevention Education Pro-
gram (APEP)” was initiated in 51 schools
in Maharashtra. Later termed the ‘School
Adolescent Life Skills Education Program
(SALSEP)’, it was gradually scaled up to
include all the other states of India as well.
However, while the program was being
scaled up, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
was filed in 2005 against the contents of the
SALSEP module on the grounds that the
allegedly offensive course material would
training, research and action center

corrupt young minds. Due to the mounting
political and public pressure, a few states
decided to ban the program. A revised cur-
riculum was designed and a review com-
mittee was set up under the chairmanship
of the CBSE Chairman. The Petition Com-
mittee said that the chapters like ‘Physical
and Mental Development in Adolescents’
and ‘HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Trans-
mitted Diseases’ and other chapters related
to these topics may be removed from the
present curriculum.
In this raging debate, the voice of the
adolescents for whom the program was de-
signed was never heard. Teachers are instru-
mental in the implementation of an effec-
tive FLE programme in schools. However,
their views were not included in the debate
either. There was also no attempt to allay the
fears and inhibitions of parents. There was
thus the need for a study to provide an ob-
jective and scientific basis to the emotional
reactions. A large scale study was initiated
to form the basis for a balanced debate and
policy decisions on adolescent issues that
can have far reaching impact.
training, research and action center
Chapter 1
the three main objectives of this study are
1. To compare the knowledge and attitude
of adolescents who have undergone Family
Life Education with those who have not
2. To understand the knowledge and atti-
tude of teachers towards imparting Family
Life Education in schools.
3. To understand the attitude of parents to-
wards providing Family Life Education in
schools.
This Study on the Knowledge & Attitude of
Adolescents, their Parents & Teachers on
Family Life Education in Schools provides
conclusive, scientific evidence for us to an-
swer the following questions:
Should Family Life Education for adoles-
cents be a part of the school curriculum?
Does Family Life Education lead to respon-
sible behavior among adolescents?
What is the readiness level of adolescents for
undergoing Family Life Education?
What are the views and inhibitions of teach-
ers & parents and how to address them?
What should be taught as part of Family Life
Education?
19
 Chapter 2

Study Design
and Methods
Study Population
Students of IX standard in schools in Mum-
bai were considered for participation in the
study. The respondents of this study were
2723 students from 23 schools, out of which
901 were receiving FLE in their school and
1822 were not. 128 teachers from 24 schools
participated in the study. Out of the parents
of all students who were given the scale,
the responses of 781 parents were received.
Out of the 23 schools, there were 10 English
medium, 6 Hindi medium, 3 Marathi me-
dium and 4 multilingual schools. Of these,
7 schools conducted Family Life Education
and 16 did not.
Sample Design
The sample size for students was calculated
using the categories of independent and de-
pendent variables. Four independent vari-
ables were considered as given in the Table
2.1
Knowledge and attitude were the two depen-
dent variables with two categories each
The sample size is calculated using the
formula:
N = 1.1 (M X Average number of students in
each class),
where M = ∑ ni,
Where n = number of categories in each
variable, i = number of variables.
Here, M = 144 and average number of students
is taken as 100 with 50 boys and girls each.
By this formula, the sample size N = 7920.
Hence, at the beginning of the study stu-
dents of IX standard from 80 schools were
considered. The teachers from the partici-
pating schools and the parents of the re-
spondent students were taken as the sample
for teachers and parents respectively.

table 1
Preparation and validation of scale
By considering the age and varying levels of
Independent Number of Cate-
Variable Categories gories maturity of the respondents, separate scales
Receiving FLE Receiving FLE , were developed for adolescents, teachers
2
program Not receiving FLE
and parents in Marathi, Hindi and English.
Sex Male, Female 2 For the scale development, 99 statements
Socio-eco- pertaining to the adolescents’ knowledge
High, medium,
nomic 3
low
status and attitude were collected from various
Marathi, Hindi, sources including the existing FLE mod-
Language 3
English
ule (SALSEP), other relevant studies and
2
Some of the schools followed the Agha Khan module or the Archdiocesan Board Education module for their FLE program. 3Teachers’ data
was collected from one more school which had refused permission for data collection from students as they feared negative reactions from
parents. 43 categories were considered in Knowledge and Attitude for data analysis. Please refer Results and Discussion for a detailed note.

training, research and action center

20
 Chapter 2

some original statements. Similarly, 180 in their schools.

statements were collected for the teachers’
knowledge and attitude and 120 statements
for parents’ attitude. These statements were
given to one expert to assess whether each
statement tested knowledge or attitude.
After the statements were sorted, the three
separate scales were given to a group of 10
experts each and asked to classify the state-
ments again. 5 rounds of discussion were
conducted individually with experts and
consultants from the field. After validation
many statements were eliminated from the
scale.
After these processes, the scale for
adolescents contained 76 statements out
of which 39 were knowledge statements (α =
.914) and 35 attitude statements (α =.853). The
scale for teachers contained 102 statements
out of which 37 were knowledge statements
(α =.886) and 57 were attitude statements (α
= .897). The scale for parents contained 82
The teacher from one school conduct-
ing the FLE program asked for some changes
in few statements before administering the
scale to the students. Scales were distrib-
uted to 288 teachers from 24 schools5 out
of which 118 responded. The instructions
and self-administered scales for the parents
were enclosed in a sealed envelope and sent
with the students. They were asked to return
the filled scale in a sealed envelope to the
school authorities. Though the scales were
distributed among parents of 20 schools,
completed scales were received from only 16
schools Out of the 781 responses, 629 were
considered after thorough cleaning.
table 2
Knowledge Attitude
Physical changes Learning about sex and
during adolescence sexuality
Menstruation and Stigma attached with HIV
Pregnancy and STI

attitude statements (α = 0.9001). Each state- Masturbation Abstinence

ment had a 2 point scale with options Agree Awareness about sex
Peer Pressure
and sexuality
and Disagree.
Stereotypes about boys’
Symptoms of STI
and girls’ behavior

Data Collection Sexual abuse

Schools were randomly selected from the
list of schools in Mumbai where the SALSEP
module was being implemented. The partic-
ipation of the schools in the process of data
collection was also dependent on some fac-
tors like time constraints before the annual
examination, the permission of the school
authority etc. Some of the schools felt that
the items in the scale were too explicit to be
given to the students of IX standard while
other schools could not give time due to is-
sues like examination schedules etc. Hence
data collection was done in the 23 schools
which gave permission to conduct the study
Misconceptions about sex
and sexuality
HIV/AIDS and STI
Incorrect Knowledge
Processing and Analysis
Scales were developed with a number of
statements belonging to broad level catego-
ries as shown
Coding of the responses was done after data
entry and data cleaning. Each set of state-
ments were clustered into the broad catego-
ries using Factor Analysis. The statements
having a value more than 0.400 in Principal
Component Analysis were included.

training, research and action center

21
Chapter 2

table 3

Characteristics Categories Frequencies Percentage

Exposure Exposed 901 33.1
Not Exposed 1822 66.9
Age 13-14 1690 62.1
15-16 979 36.0
17 and above 54 2.0
Sex Boys 1694 62.2
Girls 1029 37.8
Standard IX 2723 100
Language English 1256 46.1
Marathi 671 24.6
Hindi 796 29.2
Father’s Occupation Service 1487 54.6
Business 851 31.3
Unemployed/Retired/Expired 8 .3
Mother’s Occupation Service 292 10.7
Business 92 3.4
Housewife 1667 61.2
Family Income(In Rs/ Month) Up to 5000 530 19.5
5001 to 15000 513 18.8
15001 + 215 7.9
Family Size 2 to 4 869 31.9
5 to 8 1560 57.3
9 and above 174 6.4
Staying in Rented House 379 13.9
Own House 2088 76.7
Type of Housing Slums 211 7.7
Chawl 1633 60.0
Flats 786 28.9
Bungalow 52 1.9

The dependent variables were divided

into 3 categories. Knowledge was divided
into low, moderate and high knowledge and
attitude into less favorable, favorable and
more favorable attitude.
Stepwise multiple regression was com-
puted to understand the influence of each
independent variable on the dependent
variables of each cluster. Cross tabulations
and chi-square tests of all independent vari-
ables with the dependent variables in each
cluster was also computed. . All statistical
computations were done using SPSS.
Major Limitations of the study
The major limitations faced by the re-
searchers are as follows:
Considering the sensitivity around the is-
sue and the political pressures in the debate,
garnering support from the Maharastra State
Education department to conduct the study
proved to be a big challenge. As a fall-out, the
study had to be limited to private and aided
schools within Mumbai.
The adolescents’ scale was essentially based
on the SALSEP module and may have ex-

training, research and action center

22
 Chapter 2

table 4

Characteristics Category Frequency Percentage

Exposure Exposed 57 44.5

Not exposed 71 55.5

Language English 58 45.3

Marathi 25 19.5

Hindi 45 35.2

Age 25-35 47 36.7

36-45 48 37.5

Above 45 33 25.8

Sex Male 40 31.3

Female 88 68.8

Income Rs 1500- 10000 40 31.3

Rs 10001-20000 72 56.3

Above Rs 20000 16 12.5

cluded /included certain topics that are part
of other modules.
Due to operational limitations, the study
could be conducted only in Mumbai and
therefore may not be representative of any
rural or semi-urban area or any other state in
India.
Select characteristics of the adolescents
who participated in the study
Majority of the respondents were studying
in the class appropriate to their age. Num-
ber of male respondents was more than
their counterparts. More number of English
medium schools participated in the study
leading to more number of English medium
students getting represented in the sample.
Majority of the students’ fathers were work-
ing in the service sector whereas most moth-
ers were housewives. Most of the students
lived in own houses and mostly in chawls.
Most of them stayed in joint family settings
with 5 to 8 members.
Select characteristics of teachers & parents
who participated in the study
Since 16 out of 23 schools did not conduct
any FLE program, most of the teachers had
not undergone any training in Family Life
Education. Majority of the teachers were
between 25 and 45 years of age. More than
two-thirds of the respondents were women.
Among the parents, children of 39.3%
were studying in Marathi medium schools,
children of 36.7% parents’ were in English
medium schools and children of 24% par-
ents’ were in Hindi medium schools. Ma-
jority of the respondents were in the age
group of 40 - 49 years. More mothers have
participated in the study. Almost half of the
respondents had family income less than Rs.
5000 per month.
Operational definitions of
key concepts
Compare- To find out the similarities and
differences in knowledge and attitude of ad-
olescents who have received FLE with those

training, research and action center

23
Chapter 2
who have not.
Knowledge- The level of information on
sex, sexuality and related concepts covered
under any FLE program.
Attitude - Approach towards issues on
sex, sexuality and related issues covered un-
der any FLE program.
Adolescents - Children between 13 to 17
years of age who are studying in IX Standard
in Schools in Mumbai.
Teachers- Adults who are qualified and
currently teaching students of IX Standard
in schools in Mumbai.
Parents- Adults who have their children
studying in IX standard in schools in Mum-
bai.
Family Life Education- providing
information & knowledge and forming at-
titudes about sex and sexuality, relation-
24
ships and sexual behavior; developing skills
required for making informed choices and
adopting a healthy lifestyle.
FLE Modules – Some of the FLE pro-
grams conducted in Schools in Mumbai
are School Adolescent Life Skills Educa-
tion Programme (SALSEP), Archdiocesan
Board of Education (ABE) module & mod-
ule developed by Agha Khan Foundation.
SALSEP started as AIDS Prevention Educa-
tion Programme in 1993 for IX and XI Stan-
dards students in schools and was renamed
as SALSEP in 2004. It was implemented in
various states in India including Maha-
rashtra to provide adequate information on
adolescence, growing up, HIV/AIDS, rein-
forcing positive behavior and develop and
encourage positive attitude towards HIV/
AIDS and those living with it.
training, research and action center

KNOWLEDGE & ATTITUDE of
ADOLESCENTS: RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS
The study clearly reveals that stu-
dents’ who have undergone FLE have
more knowledge about physical
changes during adolescence, sex and
sexuality, HIV/AIDS and STI and Sexual
abuse. They have a markedly more re-
sponsible attitude towards sex and
sexual relationships. They also have
a more favorable attitude towards
people living with HIV/AIDS.
The Programme of Action, Interna-
tional Conference on Population and Devel-
opment (Cairo, Egypt, 1994) states that “the
reproductive health needs of adolescents as
training, research and action center
Chapter 3
a group have been largely ignored to date
by existing reproductive health services”
and that “the response of societies to the
reproductive health needs of adolescents
should be based on information that helps
them attain a level of maturity required to
make responsible decisions”. It is therefore
important to assess both the knowledge of
adolescents on adolescence, sex and sexual
relations and their attitude towards sex, re-
lationships and responsible decisions. This
section of the study researches these two
aspects.
The scale for adolescents contained
25
Chapter 3
76 statements out of which 39 were knowl-
edge statements (α = .914) and 35 attitude
statements (α =.853). The set of statements
were clustered using Factor Analysis into 12
Knowledge Clusters and 7 Attitude Clusters.
The various clusters that have been formed
are as follows
Adolescents’ Knowledge on
Physical changes in boys and girls during
adolescence
Menstruation and Pregnancy
Masturbation
Awareness about sex and sexuality
Symptoms of STI
Sexual abuse
HIV/AIDS and STI
Incorrect knowledge
Adolescents’ Attitude towards
Learning about sex and sexuality
Abstinence
Stigma attached with HIV and STI
Peer Pressure
Stereotypes about boys’ and girls’ behavior
Misconceptions about sex and sexuality
Knowledge on physical changes
during adolescence
Adolescence is marked with many physi-
cal, psychological and emotional changes.
Physical changes make adolescents con-
scious about their body and appearance.
It also creates a tremendous amount of
curiosity about sex and sexuality amongst
them. If not properly supported with ad-
equate information and understanding,
these curiosities are likely to result in sev-
eral misconceptions, a sense of shame and
guilt and in the long run poor self-esteem18.
Also, each adolescent has his/her own age
to achieve milestones. For example, some
26
girls start menstruating at age of 11-12 yrs
while some others start at 13-14 yrs which
is medically normal. But those who at-
tain it late may become anxious and start
believing that there is some problem with
them. Ignorance about the changes during
adolescence can have detrimental effects
on their self-image. The only way to be able
to deal with these changes properly is to be
aware about them. Information about hu-
man anatomy and changes during adoles-
cence is generally a part of any Family Life
Education program.
The study explores adolescents’ knowl-
edge about physical changes during ado-
lescence and does a comparative analysis
of the knowledge levels of adolescents who
have been part of FLE program with those
who have not received it.
Two separate statement sets were given
in the students’ scale about physical chang-
es in boys during adolescence and physical
changes in girls during adolescence. The
statements were:
Some of the changes that take place are
Moustache and beard Agree/Disagree
Growth of the chest Agree/Disagree
Growth of the waist size Agree/Disagree
Growth of pubic hair Agree/Disagree
Development of breast Agree/Disagree
Change in voice Agree/Disagree
Pimples Agree/Disagree
Some of the changes that take place in
adolescent girls are
Moustache and beard Agree/Disagree
Growth of the chest Agree/Disagree
Growth of the waist size Agree/Disagree
Growth of pubic hair Agree/Disagree
Development of breast Agree/Disagree
Change in voice Agree/Disagree
Pimples Agree/Disagree
training, research and action center
 Chapter 3

table A.1.3 Stepwise multiple regression for knowledge about changes in adolescent boys

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta

1 (Constant) 41.154 .000

Exposed/ Unexposed -.204 -8.930 .000

2 (Constant) 32.340 .000

Exposed/ Unexposed -.193 -8.384 .000

mother's occupaiton corr -.082 -3.554 .000

3 (Constant) 30.140 .000

Exposed/ Unexposed -.191 -8.331 .000

mother's occupaiton corr -.080 -3.507 .000

Sex -.073 -3.207 .001

4 (Constant) 20.728 .000

Exposed/ Unexposed -.174 -7.284 .000

mother's occupaiton corr -.080 -3.501 .000

Sex -.063 -2.723 .007

Type of housing .064 2.656 .008

table A.1.4 Stepwise multiple regression for knowledge about changes in adolescent girls

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta

1 (Constant) 39.164 .000

Exposed/ Unexposed -.210 -9.190 .000

2 (Constant) 22.732 .000

Exposed/ Unexposed -.195 -8.202 .000

Type of housing .054 2.256 .024

Receiving FLE in school had a statis- A.1.7 and A.1.8)

tically significant effect on adolescents’
knowledge about physical changes during
adolescence (Refer Tables A.1.1, A.1.2, A.1.3
and A.1.4).
The multiple regression done separate-
ly for boys and girls also showed that being
part of FLE was the strongest factor affect-
ing their knowledge about the same. Both
boys and girls who had received FLE had
higher knowledge than those who were not
exposed to FLE. (Refer Tables A.1.5, A.1.6,
63.7% adolescents who received FLE
had higher knowledge about physical
changes in boys during adolescence com-
pared to 43.2% who did not receive FLE (Re-
fer Table A.1.1)
53.9% of those who received FLE had
higher knowledge about changes in girls
compared to 38.8% of those did not. (Refer
Table A.1.2)
Adolescents whose mothers and fa-
thers were in service including banking,

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27
Chapter 3

table A.1.1 CHANBOYS * Exposed/ Unexposed Cross Tabulation

Exposure to FLE Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about Low Knowledge Count 135 563 698

changes in ado-
lescent boys

% within Exposed/ 15.0% 30.9% 25.6%

Unexposed

Moderate Knowledge Count 192 472 664

% within Exposed/ 21.3% 25.9% 24.4%

Unexposed

High knowledge Count 574 787 1361

% within Exposed/ 63.7% 43.2% 50.0%

Unexposed

Total Count 901 1822 2723

% within Exposed/ 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Unexposed

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 115.559(a) 2 .000

engineering, teaching and Govt service had
higher knowledge about physical changes
in boys during adolescence than those
who were in business like tailoring, plumb-
ing, carpentry. (Refer Table A.1.3 and Table
A.1.4). Adolescent boys staying in flats and
bungalows had better knowledge than those
staying in slums and chawls. (Refer Table
A.1.5 and A.1.7) Parents in service were also
better educated. It could be that the higher
socio-economic status improved the ado-
lescents’ access to correct information and
also determined the peer group in which
the adolescents mixed, thus improving their
knowledge levels.
However, belonging to a higher socio
economic background did not improve ado-
lescent girls’ knowledge, which indicates the
gender disparity that exists within all class-
es of society. It is important to note that “the
socioeconomic status mainly education of
the parents, the environment at home and
their neighborhood influences the way ado-
lescents grow up to be responsible adults19.
Sex of the respondents affected their
knowledge about changes in adolescent
boys. (Refer Table A.1.3). As expected, boys
had significantly higher knowledge than
girls about changes in adolescent boys.
However, girls had only slightly better
knowledge than boys about changes in ado-
lescent girls. Though it was statistically sig-
nificant, both boys and girls had equal levels
of high knowledge. (Refer Table A.1.9). How-
ever, more boys (33.1%) had lower knowl-
edge than girls (28.8%).
2.Awareness about Sex
and Sexuality
Sexuality refers to sexual preference or sex-
ual orientation. Heterosexuality is widely
known and the only accepted sexuality in

training, research and action center

28
 Chapter 3

table A.1.2 CHANGIRL * Exposed/ Unexposed Cross tabulation

Exposure to FLE Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about Low Knowledge Count 72 224 296

changes in adoles-
cent boys

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 21.8% 32.0% 28.8%

Moderate Knowledge Count 80 204 284

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 24.2% 29.2% 27.6%

High knowledge Count 178 271 449

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 53.9% 38.8% 43.6%

Total Count 330 699 1029

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 21.958(a) 2 .000

India. Lack of awareness and willingness Anal sex is inserting penis into anus.
to accept alternate sexualities is low in our Gender means socially accepted roles of
country. Though many countries have le- males and females.
gally accepted homosexuality, the Indian People have sex for pleasure.
law does not recognize it. It is important to Vaginal sex is inserting penis into vagina.
understand the knowledge level of adoles- People have sex for procreation.
cents about sex and sexuality if we have to
look at a program that will help them build a Even though the cross tabulation
responsible and healthy lifestyle. showed that receiving FLE increased ado-
lescents’ knowledge about sex and sexuality,
The following statements were the association was not statistically signifi-
studied in this cluster cant (Refer Table A.2.1) It also did not show
Different types of sexuality among people as a significant factor in multiple regression.
are This could be because teachers and schools
Homosexuality (when men have sex with conducting FLE classes did not cover this
men and women with women) topic adequately.
Heterosexuality (when man has sex with Sex of the respondents emerged as the
woman) most influential factor in determining their
Bisexuality (when man has sex with both awareness about sex and sexuality. Boys had
men and women) significantly higher knowledge about sex
Sex refers to biological difference between and sexuality than girls. 53.3% of girls had
male and female. low knowledge in comparison with 28.3% of

training, research and action center

29
Chapter 3

table A.1.9 CHANGIRL * Sex Cross tabulation

Sex Total

Boys Girls

Knowledge about Low Knowledge Count 561 296 857

changes in ado-
lescent girls

% within Sex 33.1% 28.8% 31.5%

Moderate Knowledge Count 394 284 678

% within Sex 23.3% 27.6% 24.9%

High Knowledge Count 739 449 1188

% within Sex 43.6% 43.6% 43.6%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 8.696(a) 2 .013

boys. (Refer Table A.2.2 and A 2.3).
Very interestingly, amongst boys, younger
boys and amongst girls, older girls had higher
knowledge (Refer Table A.2.4 and A.2.5). This
indicates that boys become aware about sex and
related topics quite early whereas girls do not get
this information till they grow older. The me-
dium of instruction also influenced the level of
knowledge of adolescent girls (Refer Table A.2.5)
In the Indian society, girls are expected
to not discuss anything about sex and sexu-
ality before marriage. Reaching puberty im-
poses many restrictions on them including
the amount of time they spend outside their
homes. Unlike boys, they also do not have
the freedom to access various sources of
information. The striking difference in the
age group when they gain knowledge could
be attributed to the gender differentials and
stereotypes that exist in our society.
3.Knowledge about HIV/AIDS and STI
HIV/AIDS has reached alarming propor-
tions in India. Unsafe sex and injecting drug
use are the main drivers of the epidemic in
South-East Asia. Of the reported AIDS cases,
sexual transmission accounts for 86% in
India. Young people aged 15–24 years are
not only the most threatened—globally ac-
counting for 40% of new HIV infections—but
also potentially the most likely group to in-
fluence the future course of the epidemic20.
Knowledge is the best protection and
it is imperative that young people had ad-
equate knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Their
ability to resist peer pressure and social in-
fluences to make a right decision by saying
no to risky sexual activity is based on vari-
ous factors like his/her knowledge about the
disease21. One of the major objectives of the
FLE program initiated by the Union Minis-
try of HRD of India and National AIDS Con-
trol Organization, India was also to spread
the message of prevention of HIV/AIDS.
The findings of two clusters of statements
- routes of transmission of HIV and Facts

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 Chapter 3

table A.2.2 AWASEX* Sex Cross Tabulation

Sex Total

Boys Girls

Awareness about Low Knowledge Count 479 548 1027

sex and sexuality

% within Sex 28.3% 53.3% 37.7%

Moderate Knowledge Count 606 300 906

% within Sex 35.8% 29.2% 33.3%

High Knowledge Count 609 181 790

% within Sex 36.0% 17.6% 29.0%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 188.717(a) 2 .000

about HIV have been combined and pre- Using condom during sexual intercourse is
sented here. The statements included for a way to protect oneself from HIV/AIDS and
routes of transmission of HIV are other Sexually Transmitted Infections
Some of the routes of transmission of HIV Both partners require treatment for cure
are from Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Having unprotected sex with a HIV posi- RTI is Reproductive Tract Infection.
tive man or woman HIV and AIDS is the same
Kissing and hugging AIDS stands for Acquired Immunity Decreas-
Transfusion of HIV positive blood ing Syndrome.
Traveling together HIV is Human Immunity Virus.
From a HIV positive mother to her unborn
child Both boys and girls who received FLE had
Mosquito bites better knowledge than those who did not
Sharing food (Refer Tables A.3.4 to A.3.9). All the schools
Use of HIV infected syringes and needles imparting FLE mentioned that they had pro-
Shaking hands vided detailed information about HIV/AIDS
and STI as it was the main purpose of the pro-
The statements included for facts about gram. Other studies have also shown similar
HIV /AIDS & STI are results where a significantly higher percent-
If someone with HIV coughs or sneezes near age of students who have undergone FLE were
other people, the virus doesn’t spread. able to reject myths related to HIV transmis-
A very healthy looking person can also be sion as compared to others22. However, boys
HIV positive and can pass on HIV to others. had significantly higher knowledge than girls

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31
Chapter 3

table A.3.1 Stepwise Multiple Regression for Knowledge about Routes of Transmission of HIV

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 43.725 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.324 -14.689 .000
2 (Constant) 39.309 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.321 -14.685 .000
Sex -.143 -6.545 .000
3 (Constant) 39.617 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.306 -13.896 .000
Sex -.118 -5.248 .000
LANGUAGE -.095 -4.151 .000
4 (Constant) 35.998 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.305 -13.893 .000
Sex -.121 -5.388 .000
LANGUAGE -.091 -3.982 .000
father's occupation corr -.080 -3.678 .000
5 (Constant) 23.589 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.286 -12.643 .000
Sex -.113 -5.024 .000
LANGUAGE -.073 -3.122 .002
father's occupation corr -.085 -3.910 .000
Type of housing .079 3.352 .001
6 (Constant) 23.150 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.280 -12.310 .000
Sex -.115 -5.114 .000
LANGUAGE -.068 -2.885 .004
father's occupation corr -.085 -3.917 .000
Type of housing .075 3.190 .001
Age -.049 -2.198 .028

table A.3.2 Stepwise Multiple Regression for Knowledge of Facts about HIV and STI

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 47.311 .000
Sex -.154 -6.670 .000
2 (Constant) 44.334 .000
Sex -.138 -5.796 .000
LANGUAGE -.058 -2.445 .015

table A.3.3 Stepwise Multiple Regression for Knowledge about HIV/AIDS

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 38.937 .000
Sex -.096 -4.125 .000
2 (Constant) 28.190 .000
Sex -.094 -4.049 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.079 -3.392 .001

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32

(Refer Table A.3.1, A.3.2 and A.3.3).
Also, boys from higher socio economic
background (fathers employed in service
and those staying in flats and bungalows)
had better knowledge than others (self-em-
ployed fathers and those staying in slums
and chawls.). (Refer Table 8.4) Amongst girls,
those from English medium knew more than
the others from Hindi and Marathi medium
schools (Refer Table 8.5 and 8.7).
Younger boys had significantly higher
knowledge than older boys (Refer Table
A.3.4). Several educational theorists and
health scientists have suggested that young
adolescents are more likely to benefit from
detailed instruction regarding HIV/AIDS
prevention programs when compared to
any other age group.
4. Knowledge about
Symptoms of STI
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), in-
cluding HIV affect sexually active young
people also. Young adults aged 15–29 years,
account for 32% of AIDS (Acquired Immu-
nodeficiency Syndrome) cases reported in
India 23. All the STIs except HIV are curable
if properly treated. But many times symp-
toms of STIs are ignored which can prove to
be fatal. Symptoms of STI are different for
men and women. It is essential to provide
information about symptoms of STIs to ado-
lescents which will alert them to seek timely
medical attention as needed 24.
The following statements were studied in
this cluster
Some of the symptoms of Sexually Transmit-
ted Infection in men are
Irritation while urinating talk can be equally traumatizing. Many
Curdy, foul smelling white discharge myths like “STIs get cured by having sex
training, research and action center
Chapter 3
Pubic hair loss
Genital ulcers
Itching around the genitals
Excessive bleeding from penis
Some of the symptoms of Sexually Transmit-
ted Infection in women are
Curdy, foul smelling white discharge
Pubic hair loss
Genital ulcers
Itching around the genitals
Excessive bleeding from vagina
Receiving FLE did not significantly in-
fluence the knowledge levels of adolescents
on symptoms of STI. This may not have been
covered adequately in the FLE program or
classes. Boys knew more about symptoms
of STI in men while girls knew more about
symptoms in women (Refer Table A.4.1 and
A.4.2). Older girls had higher knowledge
than younger girls about Symptoms of STI
in men and women (Refer Table A.4.5 and
A.4.6). Medium of instruction significantly
affected adolescents’ knowledge about
symptoms of STI in both men and women
(Refer Table A.4.1 and A.4.3). Adolescents
from Hindi medium had better knowledge
than those from English and Marathi medi-
um schools. This is despite the fact that only
one Hindi medium school was conducting
FLE classes.
5.Knowledge about Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse refers to any sexual act with
a person without that person’s wish or in a
threatening or coercive manner25. Sexual
abuse can take many forms but most of
the times only rape is considered as sexual
abuse. However staring or sexually explicit
33
Chapter 3
table A.5.1 Multiple Regression for boys for Knowledge about Sexual Abuse
Model Standardized Coefficients
1 (Constant)
LANGUAGE
Exposed/ Unexposed
Age
Type of housing
mother's occupaiton corr
father's occupation corr
with a virgin” also make young adolescents
especially girls very vulnerable. Adolescents
need to be able to protect themselves, espe-
cially in the wake of increasing vulnerabili-
ties at home, school and community envi-
ronment. One of the important objectives
of FLE is to help them understand various
forms of sexual abuse so that they can learn
to protect themselves or learn to say ‘no’.
The following statements were included in
this cluster -
 Sexual abuse is
 Sexual touch or fondling by force tions of sexual abuse, which can be achieved
 Sexually explicit talk or hint by force by using a Life Skills Education approach.
 Exposure of minors to sexual activity or
pornography by force
 Staring or letching at women
Receiving information through FLE
significantly increased the knowledge levels
of boys as shown in the multiple regression
for boys (Refer Table A.5.1).
Boys had significantly higher knowl-
edge than girls (Refer Table A.5.2 and A.5.3).
Girls are more vulnerable to sexual abuse
than boys and the study clearly indicates
that we need to improve awareness levels
amongst girls. At the same time, adolescent
girls’ access to information is limited as
compared to boys revealing the underlying
34
t Sig.
Beta
14.795 .000
-.012 -.378 .705
-.131 -4.105 .000
-.034 -1.110 .267
.083 2.575 .010
.004 .147 .883
-.010 -.330 .742
gender disparities.
Boys staying in flats had higher knowl-
edge than boys staying in slums and chawls
(Refer Table A.5.1). Medium of instruction of
school was the only factor that significant-
ly affected girls’ knowledge about sexual
abuse (Refer Table A.5.4). Girls from Eng-
lish medium schools had better knowledge
than those from Marathi and Hindi medium
schools. Medium of instruction did not how-
ever, influence the knowledge level of boys.
It is also important to provide them
with the requisite skills to deal with situa-
Other studies have also shown the need to
provide more than just information to ado-
lescent girls26.
6.Knowledge about Masturbation
One of the topics that has been contentious
in FLE modules is masturbation. Many FLE
modules do not include this topic, mainly
due to religious or cultural restrictions and
wherever it is included, it is generally not
discussed in class. During the course of
this research also, it was found that trained
teachers in schools conducting FLE were in-
structed to discuss about masturbation only
if the students ask specifically about it.
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 Chapter 3

table A.6.4 Multiple Regression for boys for knowledge about masturbation

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 14.468 .000
LANGUAGE -.015 -.464 .643
Exposed/ Unexposed -.036 -1.119 .263
Age .046 1.491 .136
Type of housing .055 1.685 .092
mother's occupaiton corr -.036 -1.187 .235
father's occupation corr -.020 -.673 .501

table A.6.1 MASTURBATION * Sex Cross Tabulation

Sex Total

Boys Girls

Awareness about Low Knowledge Count 265 422 687

sex and sexuality

% within Sex 15.6% 41.0% 25.2%

Moderate Knowledge Count 441 312 753

% within Sex 26.0% 30.3% 27.7%

High Knowledge Count 988 295 1283

% within Sex 58.3% 28.7% 47.1%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 287.010(a) 2 .000

The statements on masturbation were:
 Masturbation is satisfying one’s own
sexual urges. A.6.2).
 For women, masturbation is the act of in-
serting objects or fingers into their vagina.
 Masturbation for men is the act of rubbing
his penis.
Boys knew about masturbation irre-
spective of their age, language and socio-
economic status. (Refer Table A.6.4) and
they had significantly higher knowledge
than girls about masturbation.
In the multiple regression sex of the re-
spondents emerged as the most influential
factor. 41% girls had low knowledge com-
pared with 15.6% boys (Refer Table A.6.1 and
However, girls’ knowledge improved
with age (Refer Table A.6.4).
Many studies have also shown that boys
tend to masturbate more than girls. Spitzka,
in America, found masturbation relatively
rare among women and Danna considers it
commoner in boys than in girls or adults27. It
is also important to note that because boys
usually masturbate and girls often do not,
boys are more likely to learn a sexuality that
is genitally focused 28. Thus, it could be that

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Chapter 3

since most males learn to masturbate dur-
ing adolescence than females29, boys have
higher knowledge about it.
Many times teachers don’t talk about
masturbation in class assuming it is bad and
should not be taught to adolescents. The
study clearly shows that adolescent boys
learn about masturbation from other sourc-
es. Many times, these sources are cheap
literature & movies or ill-informed friends.
The danger is that they could fall prey to
myths and misconceptions which adversely
affect the process of personality develop-
ment in them and leads them quite often to
risky and irresponsible behavior30.
7. Knowledge about
Menstruation and Pregnancy
Menstruation is an important mile-
stone for girls during their growing up phase.
Achieving puberty is celebrated in many re-
gions and religions of India as a mark of at-
taining ‘womanhood’. There are also many
customs and practices associated with the
onset of puberty including pollution prac-
tices. Most parents are reluctant to talk to
their girls about menstruation and many
of them turn to friends or elder cousins for
information. This may lead to either incom-
plete or distorted knowledge. Other studies
also emphasize the importance of talking
to girls early about these issues, especially
since they start maturing early31.
While it is important for girls to know
about menstruation, the menstrual cycle,
physical and emotional state during men-
struation, health and hygiene and how it is
linked to pregnancy, it is also equally im-
portant for boys to have correct information
about these topics so that they are not mis-
informed.
The following statements were part of the
cluster on menstruation:
 Menstruation is the monthly cycle in a fe-
male body.
 During menstruation a girl should take care
of hygiene by wearing sanitary pads or cotton
cloth.
 A girl should wash hands and bathe daily
even more during menstruation.
The following statements were part of the
cluster on pregnancy:
 A man can make a woman pregnant when
he inserts his penis into a woman’s vagina
and ejaculates inside her.
 A pregnant woman requires nutritious food
and exercise.

table A.7.3 The stepwise multiple regression for knowledge about menstruation and pregnancy

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 32.129 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.116 -5.010 .000
2 (Constant) 31.102 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.104 -4.429 .000
LANGUAGE -.077 -3.287 .001
3 (Constant) 24.842 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.102 -4.382 .000
LANGUAGE -.097 -4.021 .000
Sex .076 3.193 .001

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 Chapter 3

 Most commonly available ways of prevent-

ing pregnancies are
 Birth Control Pills As discussed earlier, adolescents turn to un-
 I pills reliable and inaccurate sources like cheap
 Condoms literature, friends, media etc for more infor-
Receiving FLE in schools significantly
affects boys’ knowledge about menstrua-
tion and pregnancy (Refer Table A.7.1).
Boys who received FLE in school had higher
knowledge about menstruation and preg-
nancy than others. Also, boys from higher
socio-economic background had better
knowledge than others (Refer Table A.7.1).
This may be because the boys from higher
socio-economic background have more ac-
cess to sources of correct information.
Girls had significantly higher knowl-
edge than boys about menstruation and
pregnancy as shown both in cross tabula-
tion and multiple regression (Refer Table A
7.2 and A.7.3). However, being part of FLE
did not significantly impact the knowledge
of girls (Refer Table A.7.3)
This may be because by the time they
receive information through FLE; many
of them could have reached puberty and
started menstruating. Girls from English
medium knew more than girls from other
schools. Older girls (17yrs and above) had
better knowledge than younger girls (13-14
years) as shown in Table A.7.4.
8. Incorrect Knowledge
mation leading to many misconceptions and
fears within them. Since wrong knowledge
can often lead to negative attitude which in
turn affects their behavior, it is important to
improve the education and information ser-
vices of any adolescent reproductive health
programme.
The following incorrect statements were
studied in this cluster -
 A girl can get pregnant even before she
reaches her menarche (menstruation).
 A man can impregnate a woman when he
has anal sex with her.
 Kissing on lips and tongue to tongue kissing
is not oral sex.
 Wet dreams are injurious to health.
Boys who received FLE had significant-
ly better knowledge than others (Refer Table
A.8.1).
More boys (55.9%) had high knowledge
than girls (49.9%) (Refer Table 6.2 and 6.4).
Girls improve their knowledge with age (Re-
fer Table 6.6). The FLE program addresses
many myths and misconceptions that ado-
lescents may have. The purpose of provid-

table A.8.1 Multiple Regression for boys for Wrong Notions

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 16.224 .000
LANGUAGE .055 1.704 .089
Exposed/ Unexposed -.114 -3.517 .000
Age -.033 -1.071 .284
Type of housing -.011 -.334 .739
mother's occupaiton corr .045 1.487 .137
father's occupation corr -.011 -.373 .709

training, research and action center

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Chapter 3

ing this information is to prevent early sex- towards learning about sex and sexuality
ual activities and teenage pregnancies. Also, than those who had not (Refer Table A.9.1
teenagers have fancy ideas about sex when and A.9.2). Overall, 34.1% students from
they start experimenting with sex. schools where FLE was conducted had more
favorable attitude compared to 17.8% stu-
9. Attitude towards Learning dents from schools without FLE (Refer Table
about Sex and Sexuality A.9.1).
As primary recipients of the FLE program, it One of the arguments against FLE is
is important to understand the adolescents’ that it would encourage promiscuity32. But
own attitude towards learning about sex this study clearly shows that adolescents
and sexuality. who receive FLE did not think that it would
encourage early sexual activity. More than
The cluster included three statements • 50% adolescents’ receiving FLE said that
 Parents feel shy to talk about sex with their they will not have sex with their boyfriends
adolescent children and girlfriends by learning about sex. Inter-
 By learning about sex, adolescents may start estingly during the course of data collection
having sex with their boyfriends or girlfriend teachers have narrated their own experi-
 Adolescents should be taught about their ences of how FLE has helped their students
body parts before teaching them about sex refrain from indulging in risky behavior.
and sexuality. Boys from Marathi medium schools
Adolescent boys and girls who had un- had a more favorable attitude than boys
dergone FLE had a more favorable attitude from English and Hindi medium schools

table A.9.1 LEARNSEX * Exposed/ Unexposed Cross Tabulation

Exposure to FLE Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about Less Favorable Count 220 708 928

changes in adoles-
cent boys

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 24.4% 38.9% 34.1%

Favorable Count 374 789 1163

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 41.5% 43.3% 42.7%

More Favorable Count 307 325 632

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 34.1% 17.8% 23.2%

Total Count 901 1822 2723

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value Df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 105.816(a) 2 .000

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38

(Refer Table A.9.3 and A.9.4). One of the rea-
sons for this could be that in the Marathi
medium schools, male teachers were con-
ducting FLE classes for certain topics and
this boys may have been more comfortable
to ask questions and clarify their doubts.
In the English and Hindi medium schools,
only female teachers were responsible for
FLE. This also corroborates with the find-
ings from the teachers’ attitude that prefer-
ably male teachers should take FLE classes
for boys and female teachers for girls.
10. Attitude towards Abstinence
The primary objective of the FLE program is
to reduce risky behavior and enable young
people protect themselves. Abstinence is
one of the strong underlying messages of the
program. It would be interesting to explore
the views of adolescents about pre-marital
sex and early sexual activities considering
the influence that media and technological
advances have on them.
The following three statements have been
included in analysis
 First sexual intercourse should be delayed
till both the partners become adults
 Sexual activity should be initiated only if
both the adult partners consent to it. ous like denial of housing”34. Despite these
 Pre marital sex is not acceptable.
Boys who received FLE had a signifi-
table A.10.1 Multiple Regression for Boys’ Attitude towards Abstinence
Model Standardized Coefficients
1 (Constant)
LANGUAGE
Age
Type of housing
mother's occupaiton corr
father's occupation corr
Exposed/ Unexposed
training, research and action center
Chapter 3
cantly more favorable attitude than others
(Refer Table A.10.1).
Considering that generally boys have
a much more casual attitude towards sex,
it is important to note the impact that the
program has on adolescent boys. Boys from
higher socio economic background had a
more favorable attitude than those staying
in slums and chawls (Refer Table A.10.1).
Very interestingly, boys had a more
favorable attitude than girls (Refer Table
A.10.2) and being part of the program did
not significantly impact the attitude of girls.
Girls from English medium schools had a
more favorable attitude than those from
Marathi and Hindi medium schools (Refer
Table A.10.3). Also, older girls (17 years old)
had a more favorable attitude than younger
girls (13-14 years) (Refer Table A.10.3).
11.Stigma attached with HIV/AIDS
There are approximately 2.5 million peo-
ple 33 living with HIV and AIDS in India.
People living with HIV/AIDS should be
treated with respect and dignity and their
“right to be treated equally is a fundamen-
tal right whether it’s something as simple as
using a public well or something more seri-
regulations, HIV infected people are still
stigmatized. They are still denied the right
t Sig.
Beta
10.853 .000
-.037 -1.171 .242
-.016 -.525 .600
.139 4.308 .000
-.013 -.438 .662
.016 .546 .585
-.094 -2.960 .003
39
Chapter 3

table A.11.3 Attitude towards stigma related to HIV and STI * Sex Cross tabulation

Sex Total

Boys Girls

Attitude towards Less Count 342 291 633

stigma related to Favorable
HIV and STI

% within Sex 20.2% 28.3% 23.2%

Favorable Count 686 343 1029

% within Sex 40.5% 33.3% 37.8%

More Favorable Count 666 395 1061

% within Sex 39.3% 38.4% 39.0%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 26.859(a) 2 .000

to proper treatment and are kept away from ried.

the society. Young children who are infected
with HIV are denied school admissions.
While one of the main objectives of FLE
is to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among
young people, it also aims to build a positive
attitude and reduce the stigma and discrim-
ination associated with HIV/AIDS.
The cluster on stigma attached with HIV/
AIDS and STI include the following state-
ments:
 Boys with STIs (sexually transmitted infec-
tions) are bad boys.
 HIV positive parents should not give birth to
children. practically not many opportunities for them
 People infected with HIV/AIDS should be
kept away from their community dices. This could be the main reason why
 Children can play, share books and have
food together with any HIV positive child in
school.
 Girls with STIs (sexually transmitted infec-
tions) have loose characters.
• An HIV positive person should not get mar-
Boys and girls who have undergone
FLE had a more accepting attitude towards
people living with HIV/AIDS than those who
have not (Refer Table A.11.1 and A.11.2). Boys
had a more accepting attitude than girls (Re-
fer Table A.11.3).
In Indian society, talking about sex and
related topics is a taboo and it is more so in
the case of girls. This prevents them from
getting information on diseases like HIV and
other STIs. Brought up in stereotypical set-
tings, with very little or even wrong knowl-
edge they develop their own prejudices and
biases. Added to this is the fact that there are
to correct their misconceptions and preju-
boys have a more accepting attitude towards
HIV and STI.
Developing a positive attitude about a
particular issue depends to a large extent on
the knowledge on that issue. Lack of correct
and proper knowledge about HIV and STI

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40

leads to not only an increase in its incidence
but also in discriminating behavior against
those infected. Thus, providing correct
knowledge at an early age through Family
Life Education will help youngsters develop
a more accepting attitude towards HIV and
prevent them from discriminating against
people living with HIV/AIDS. Other similar
studies 35 report that “providing sex educa-
tion in schools result in a marked improve-
ment in the knowledge of students about
HIV/AIDS and have been associated with a
positive change in their attitude towards the
disease.
There is a significant influence of fa-
ther’s occupation also on the attitude of the
boys towards HIV/AIDS (Refer Table A.11.4
and A.11.5). Analysis shows that boys whose
fathers were employed in services had a
more favorable attitude than whose fathers
were running their own business . It could
be that these parents are more educated
than the others and have been able to influ-
ence their children’s attitude.
Adolescents from Marathi medium
schools showed a more accepting attitude
towards HIV/AIDS than those from Hindi
and English medium schools (Refer Table
A.11.6). The researchers feel that this could
be because of the effective implementation
of the FLE programs in the Marathi medium
schools, as experienced during the data col-
lection and subsequent interactions.
12. Attitude towards Peer Pressure
With the many physical and psychological
changes during this period, the adolescents’
attitude towards relationships and priority
in relationships also changes. As a result,
peers become one of the most important
and influential elements in their lives. They
training, research and action center
Chapter 3
not only become the major source of infor-
mation on various issues including sex and
sexuality but also largely influence the at-
titude and behavior of adolescents. It has
been argued that many times adolescents
indulge in risky behavior and experiment
with sex under peer pressure. Considering
this, it would be interesting to know what
adolescents think about succumbing to peer
pressure.
The following three statements were
included for analysis
 Adolescents think that using condom will
reduce the pleasure of sex.
 It is not ok to have sex because it is fashion-
able among your friends.
 It is not ok to drink or smoke because your
friends force you.
Boys from higher socio economic back-
ground would not indulge in risky behavior
under peer pressure as compared to those
from lower socio-economic background
(Refer Table A.12.2). Girls from English me-
dium schools had a more favorable attitude
than girls from Marathi and Hindi medium
schools (Refer Table A.12.3). Though receiv-
ing FLE did not significantly influence the
adolescents’ attitude towards peer pressure,
the trend showed that those who received
FLE had a more favorable attitude compared
to those who did not (Refer Table A.12.1).
13. Myths and misconceptions
Wrong knowledge or no knowledge
leads to many myths and misconceptions
amongst adolescents which may influence
their behavior. Adolescents need correct
and comprehensive information and edu-
cation about sex and sexuality to practice
healthy sexual behavior as adults. It is nec-
41
Chapter 3

essary to know whether receiving FLE help and boys

adolescents clarify their misconceptions
and develop a better attitude towards sex
and sexuality.
The cluster on misunderstandings about
sex and sexuality included the following
six statements -
 Talking about sex is bad.
 Boys don’t get attracted to girls with small
breasts.
 Having sex with a virgin is a cure for STI
(sexually transmitted infections). FLE also tries to build a balanced view of sex-
 Gays are boys who are too girlish or less ma-
cho.
 Masturbation is bad.
 If size of penis is small, men will get less
pleasure in sex.
Boys and girls who have received FLE
in school had less myths and misconcep-
tions than those who did not (Refer Table
A.13.1 and A.13.2.). Boys had less myths
and misconceptions than girls (Refer Table
A.13.3 and A.13.4), corroborating the earlier
findings about lack of access to adequate
information for adolescent girls. Younger
adolescents (13-14 years) had less myths and
misconceptions than older students (Refer
Table A.13.4 and A.13.5).
14. Stereotypes about girls
Indian society has deep-rooted gender ste-
reotypes and norms which permeate into the
sexual roles and relations. For example, it is be-
lieved, in marriage, that it is the duty of the wife
to submit to the husband’s sexual desires. Simi-
larly, men are generally not ostracized for their
pre-marital and extra-marital sexual relations
whereas women in the same scenario would
be branded and stigmatized. One of the impor-
tant components of FLE program is to address
gender related differences in sexual behavior.
ual relations and bring in much needed gender
sensitivity in growing boys and girls .
The following statements were included in
the analysis
 Sexual urge is higher among men than wom-
en.
 Only boys can read porn magazines (with
obscene contents or pictures).
 A boy has control over a girl, when he has
sex with her.
 Girls are raped because they wear revealing
clothes.
 Girls should not take initiative for sexual
activity.
 Men can have sex before marriage but girls
should not
 Boys and girls receiving FLE held fewer ste-

table A.10.1 Multiple Regression for Boys’ Attitude towards Abstinence

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 9.311 .000
LANGUAGE -.026 -.686 .493
Exposed/ Unexposed -.082 -2.104 .036
Age .035 .904 .366
Type of housing .007 .165 .869
mother's occupaiton corr .016 .411 .681
father's occupation corr .002 .061 .951

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42
 Chapter 3

table A.14.1 Multiple regression for boys’ attitude towards stereotypes about boys

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 15.951 .000
LANGUAGE -.017 -.521 .603
Exposed/ Unexposed -.144 -4.515 .000
Type of housing .007 .225 .822
Mother's occupaiton corr -.025 -.839 .402
Father's occupation corr -.013 -.427 .669

table A.14.2 Multiple regression for boys’ attitude towards stereotypes about boys

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 9.311 .000
LANGUAGE -.026 -.686 .493
Exposed/ Unexposed -.082 -2.104 .036
Age .035 .904 .366
Type of housing .007 .165 .869
mother's occupaiton corr .016 .411 .681
father's occupation corr .002 .061 .951

reotypes about boys (Refer Table A.14.1 and Boys and girls from English medium schools
A.14.2). held fewer stereotypes than their coun-
Boys receiving FLE also held fewer ter parts from Marathi and Hindi medium
stereotypes about girls (Refer Table A.14.5). schools (Refer Table A.14.3, A.14.4)

training, research and action center

43
Chapter 4
KNOWLEDGE of TEACHERS &
ATTITUDE of TEACHERS &
PARENTS: RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS
68% teachers and 71% parents report-
ed that imparting FLE will bring a pos-
itive behavioral outcome among stu-
dents. Almost all the teachers (98%)
and most of the parents (79%) have
said that sex education is the shared
responsibility of both teachers and
parents. 79% teachers and 75% par-
ents want FLE to be part of the for-
mal school curriculum. More than
80% teachers said that Biology teach-
ers should be given the responsibil-
ity of conducting FLE classes with fe-
male teachers imparting FLE to girls
& male teachers doing the same for
boys. Majority of the parents also
44
want the active involvement of PTAs
in implementing FLE in schools.
Teachers and parents play a major role
in the effective implementation of any FLE
program. Principals and teachers are criti-
cal in creating an enabling environment
for imparting FLE within the school system
while parents should provide the right in-
puts in the home environment to inculcate a
healthy lifestyle in adolescents. It is impor-
tant that the teachers are well-trained with
the adequate knowledge, right attitude and
the teaching methodology required to im-
part the sensitive topics in FLE. At the same
time, the implementation of FLE program in
training, research and action center
 Chapter 4

schools should have the support and active  Sexual abuse

involvement of parents. This study explores  Types of sexuality
the knowledge of teachers about sex and  Knowledge about STI/HIV/AIDS
sexuality and related issues. It also delves  Routes of transmission of HIV/AIDS
into the attitude of both teachers and par-  Symptoms of STI in men and women
ents towards imparting FLE to adolescents  Incorrect knowledge
as part of school curriculum.
The scale for teachers contained 102 Teachers’ and Parents’ attitude towards
statements out of which 378 were knowl-  Impact of FLE program
edge statements (α =.886) and 57 were at-  Stigma related to HIV
titude statements (α = .897). The scale for  Gender roles and stereotypes about boys and
parents contained 82 attitude statements (α girls
= 0.9001).  Towards students in relation
The set of statements were clustered us-  Wrong notions
ing Factor Analysis into 12 Knowledge Clus-
ters ( for teachers only) and 7 Attitude Clus- 1. Teachers’ knowledge on physical
ters( for teachers and parents). The various changes during adolescence
clusters that have been formed are The statements included in analysis were:
Some of the changes that take place in ado-
Teachers’ knowledge on lescent boys are
 Physical changes in boys and girls during  Moustache and beard
adolescence  Growth of chest
 Menstruation and Pregnancy  Growth of the waist size

Cross tab between Teachers knowledge about changes in

table b1.1
adolescent boys and Exposure of the respondents

Exposure to FLE Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about changes Low Knowledge Count 8 12 20

in adolescent boys

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 14.0% 16.9% 15.6%

Moderate Knowledge Count 22 30 52

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 38.6% 42.3% 40.6%

High Knowledge Count 27 29 56

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 47.4% 40.8% 43.8%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square .578(a) 2 .749

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45
Chapter 4

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about changes in

table b 1.2
adolescent girls and exposure of the respondents

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about changes Low Knowledge Count 14 20 34

in adolescence (girls)

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 24.6% 28.2% 26.6%

Moderate Knowledge Count 17 32 49

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 29.8% 45.1% 38.3%

High Knowledge Count 26 19 45

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 45.6% 26.8% 35.2%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 5.271(a) 2 .072

 Growth of pubic hair B.1.3, Table B.1.4). During data collection it

 Growth of penis was seen that the Marathi medium schools
 Change in voice had taken a special interest in conducting
 Development of breast the programme and their teachers were
 Pimples more enthusiastic about imparting FLE to
their students. Older teachers (Refer Table
Some of the changes that take place in ado- B.1.5, Table B.1.6) with more years of teach-
lescent girls are ing experience (Refer Table B.1.7, Table B.1.8)
 Moustache and beard knew more. The male teachers knew more
 Growth of chest about physical changes in boys during ado-
 Growth of the waist size lescence (Refer Table B.1.9) and the female
 Growth of pubic hair teachers (Refer Table B.1.10) about physical
 Development of breast changes in girls during adolescence.
 Change in voice
 Pimples 2.Knowledge on STI,HIV/AIDS
The trend shows that the teachers in and routes of transmission of HIV
schools imparting FLE knew more about The statements for routes of transmission
the changes in adolescent boys (Refer Table of HIV/AIDS were
B.1.1) Some of the routes of transmission
It could be because this topic was wide- of HIV are:
ly covered in the FLE modules and the teach-  Having unprotected sex with a HIV positive
ers’ training as well. Teachers from Marathi man or woman
medium schools knew more (Refer Table  Kissing and hugging

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46
 Chapter 4

Cross tab between teachers’ knowledge about

table b 2.7
routes of HIV transmission and exposure of the respondents

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about routes Low Knowledge Count 7 26 33

of HIV transmission

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 12.3% 36.6% 25.8%

Moderate Knowledge Count 15 18 33

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 26.3% 25.4% 25.8%

High Knowledge Count 35 27 62

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 61.4% 38.0% 48.4%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 10.843(a) 2 .004

 Transfusion of HIV positive blood  Some of the symptoms of Sexually Trans-

 Traveling together
 Form a HIV positive mother to her unborn
child
 Mosquito bites
 Sharing food
 Use of HIV infected syringes and needles
 Shaking hands
A very healthy looking person may also
be HIV+ and also pass on HIV than others.
Interestingly, younger teachers with less
than 15 years of teaching experience had
more knowledge (Table B.2.8). It could be
that being young they are better informed
and updated.
The statements on Knowledge on STI and
facts about HIV/AIDS are
 Some of the symptoms of Sexually Transmit-
ted Infection (STI) in women are:
 Itching around the genitals
 Curdy, foul smelling white discharge
 Genital ulcers
mitted Infection (STI) in men are:
 Irritation while urinating
 Curdy, foul smelling white discharge
 Genital ulcers
 Itching around the genitals
 Excessive bleeding from penis
 If someone with HIV coughs or sneezes near
other people, the virus does not spread
 Both partners require treatment for cure
from Sexually Transmitted Infection
 Using condoms during sexual intercourse is
a way to protect oneself from HIV/AIDS and
other STIs.
Trend shows that teachers from schools
conducting FLE had better knowledge
(Table B.2.1). It could be because the teach-
ers who have been trained would have dis-
cussed these topics with the others. Teach-
ers teaching in Hindi medium schools had
more knowledge about symptoms of STI in
men (Table B.2.2) and women (Table B.2.3)
and about facts on STI and HIV/AIDS (Ta-

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47
Chapter 4

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge

table b 3.1
about sexual abuse and Exposure of the respondents

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about Low Knowledge Count 9 28 37

Sexual Abuse

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 15.8% 39.4% 28.9%

Moderate Knowledge Count 13 16 29

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 22.8% 22.5% 22.7%

High Knowledge Count 35 27 62

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 61.4% 38.0% 48.4%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 9.684(a) 2 .008

ble B.2.4). Male teachers knew more about
symptoms of STI in men (Table B.2.5) and
about facts related to STI and HIV/AIDS
(Table B.2.6) than female teachers. Female
teachers knew more about the symptoms of
STI in women than male teachers.
3. Teachers’ knowledge on
sexual abuse
It is very important for the young people to
be informed about the difference between a
good touch and bad touch, between explicit
sexual talk and casual talk. They also need to
be provided with the confidence that when
these incidences of sexual abuse occur they
can report it to some trustworthy person.
To help children in the prevention of sexual
abuse teachers must know the nature and
the importance of this problem, approach-
ing it in a sex education context 36.
The cluster consists of the following
statements
 Sexual abuse is :
 Sexual touch or fondling by force
 Sexually explicit talk or hint by force
 Exposure of minors to sexual activity or por-
nography by force
 Staring or letching at women
Teachers from schools imparting FLE
had more knowledge on sexual abuse than
others (Table B.3.1).
This is definitely indicative of the ef-
fectiveness of FLE in helping adolescents
protect themselves from sexual abuse and
exploitation. Teachers from Hindi medium
schools had very low knowledge about sex-
ual abuse (Table B.3.2) compared with those
from English and Marathi medium schools.
4. Teachers’ knowledge on types
of sexuality, menstruation
and pregnancy
The most obvious location for discussion
about sexuality is in sex education class, but
it is most likely that in this formal setting,
discussions about sexuality are limited to

training, research and action center

48

facts about biological sex and its resulting
undesirable outcomes such as teenage preg-
nancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
When sexuality is permitted in schools, it is
often the “straightest of straight versions”
of sexuality . It would be interesting to as-
37
sess the level of knowledge of teachers about
these topics before understanding their at-
titude to discuss the same.
The statements included are
 Different types of sexuality among people
are:
 Homosexuality ( when men have sex with
men and women with women)
 Bestiality (when men have sex with ani-
mals)
 Heterosexuality (when man has sex with
woman)
 Bisexuality ( when man has sex with both
men and women)
Teachers from schools imparting FLE
had more knowledge (Table B.4.1) than oth-
ers. This could be because this topic is in-
cluded in the FLE modules and the teachers
also have gained this knowledge through
training.
The statements on menstruation were
 A girl can get pregnant in the middle of her
menstrual cycle.
 A girl can become pregnant even before she
reaches menarche
 Even after reaching menopause a woman
can have her monthly periods.
Teachers in schools imparting FLE had
significantly better knowledge than others
(Table B.4.2) about menstruation. Teachers
from Marathi medium had a significantly
better knowledge (Table B.4.3) than those
from Hindi medium and English medium
schools. As discussed earlier, this could be
training, research and action center
Chapter 4
because the teachers from Marathi medium
schools took special interest in conducting
the FLE program.
5. Incorrect knowledge
amongst teachers
While it is important to assess the accu-
racy of the knowledge of teachers, it is also
important to see the prevalence of incor-
rect knowledge and misunderstandings
amongst them.
The following statements were included:
 HIV and AIDS is the same.
 A man can impregnate a woman when he
has anal sex with her.
 Wet dreams are injurious to health
Teachers from schools imparting FLE
had more knowledge than others (Table
B.5.1) indicating that FLE helps teachers
also clear many misconceptions and misun-
derstandings about sex and related topics.
6. Teachers’ & Parents’ Attitude
towards impact of Family Life
Education
The strongest argument against providing
FLE to adolescents has been that it will lead
to early sexual activities and more experi-
mentation amongst them. It is important
to understand the attitude of teachers and
parents towards FLE and its impact on the
behavior of adolescents who receive it.
This covered the following statements:
 Sex education should be part of the formal
curriculum in schools •
Sex education will:
 Provide correct knowledge to students on
sex and sexuality
 Encourage young boys to visit prostitutes
49
Chapter 4

table b 6.1 Cross tab between Attitude of Teachers towards Sex Education with Exposure

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

Attitude towards Less Favourable Count 11 30 41

Sexual Education

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 19.3% 42.3% 32.0%

Favourable Count 12 17 29

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 21.1% 23.9% 22.7%

More Favourable Count 34 24 58

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 59.6% 33.8% 45.3%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 9.979(a) 2 .007

 Have a positive effect on contraception able attitude, which could be because of the
use in their future life high level of interest that those schools and
 Promote students to experiment with sex parents have taken in imparting FLE to their
 increase viewing of pornography children (Table B.6.2).
 Promote positive and responsible atti-
tudes amongst students 7. Teachers’ and Parents’ Attitude
towards stigma related to HIV
Teachers from schools imparting FLE This section explores the attitude of teach-
had a more favorable attitude (Table B.6.1) ers and parents towards HIV/AIDS and peo-
towards the impact of FLE. ple living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs) since the
Parents of adolescents who received school and the home environment mould
FLE also show a more favorable attitude the young people’s attitude to a large extent.
(42.5%) towards the behavioral outcome of
sex education compared with others (35.2%) The statements for teachers were
(Refer table C.1.1).  People infected with HIV/AIDS should be
It is interesting to see that both teach- kept away from their community
ers and parents whose children have re-  Students can play, share books and food to-
ceived FLE report a positive behavioral gether with any HIV positive child in school.
outcome in them. This is contrary to the  An HIV positive person should not get mar-
popular argument that sex education leads ried
to more experimentation or early sexual ac-
tivities. Both the teachers and parents from Parents were asked the following state-
Marathi medium schools have a more favor- ments combining some myths and stigma

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50
 Chapter 4

Cross tab between Attitude of Teachers towards

table b 8.2 expected roles before and after marriage and exposure

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

Attitude of teachers Less Favourable Count 6 21 27

towards expcted roles
before and after marriage

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 10.5% 29.6% 21.1%

Favourable Count 9 15 24

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 15.8% 21.1% 18.8%

More Favourable Count 42 35 77

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 73.7% 49.3% 60.2%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 9.047(a) 2 .011

related issues: to be able to provide a conducive environ-

 Having sex with a virgin is a cure for Sexu- ment for imparting FLE and this section ex-
ally Transmitted Infections (STI). plores the same.
 Boys with Sexually Transmitted Infections
(STIs) are ‘bad boys’. The statements for teachers included
 HIV positive people should not get married.  Girls are raped because they wear revealing
 People living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) should clothes
be kept away from their community.  Girls should not take initiative for sexual
Trend shows that teachers from schools activity
imparting FLE would discriminate less on  Sexual initiation at an early age is good for
the basis of the HIV infection (Table B.7.1). a girl as this will help her to achieve mother-
Parents whose children received FLE also hood easily.
had a significantly more accepting attitude  Men play a more dominant role in a happy
towards PLHAs and had fewer misconcep- marriage
tions about HIV/AIDS (Refer Table C.1.2).  Men can have sex before marriage but girls
should always protect their virginity
8. Gender roles and stereotypes  Women should have sex for procreation but
about girls and boys men can have it for pleasure also
In our socio-cultural milieu ingrained with
gender stereotypes, the norms related to The statements for parents included
sexual behavior are different and more con-  A girl who has reached menarche (menstru-
servative for girls. It is important that the ation) should stop making friends with boys.
teachers and parents have the right attitude  Girls should not be allowed to go for late

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51
Chapter 4
night parties with boys
 Girls who are menstruating can attend reli-
gious rites and rituals
 Girls should not take initiative for sexual
activity
Teachers from schools imparting FLE
were more gender sensitive than others (Ta-
ble B.8.2)
Female teachers held fewer stereotypes
about girls than male teachers (Table B.8.1).
Parents with higher education levels had
fewer stereotypes and a more favorable at-
titude towards girls Parents whose children
were in English medium schools showed
a more favorable attitude than those from
Hindi and Marathi medium schools (Refer
table C.1.3).
9. Teachers’ and parents’ attitude
towards students in relationships
In the Indian system, there is a lot of con-
trol exercised over adolescents through
the home environment and school system.
Teachers and parents often assume that if
the adolescents do not know about sexual
relations, they will not engage in sexual ac-
tivity. They also restrict their socialization
to keep them away from early sexual activi-
ties and experimentation. As a result girls
are brought up with restrictions on having
close friendship with boys during adoles-
cence and criticized for lack of moral values
in case they are popular among boys.
The statements for teachers were
 A girl student who is very popular among
the boy students is looked at as being of a loose
character
 Girls should not have close friendship with
boys in adolescence
 You would criticize a girl who has many
52
boyfriends
 Pre marital sex is acceptable
 Students have sex when they have a boy-
friend and girlfriend.
69% teachers feel that adolescents are
keen to experiment with sex. (Refer Table
B.9.2). However, teachers from schools
imparting FLE did not stereotype and dis-
criminate the adolescents who were in re-
lationships (Refer Table B.9.1). This shows
that sensitivity and understanding can be
brought about by providing the right train-
ing to teachers. Older parents are less biased
towards adolescent boys and girls (Refer
Table C.1.4)
10. Wrong notions and
beliefs amongst teachers
There are many myths which detrimentally
affect the behavior of adolescents and many
times, even of adults. Some of these myths
are associated with sex like using condoms
reduces the pleasure of sex, masturbation
would lead to impotency, sexual urge is
higher in men , having sex with a virgin is a
cure for STI etc. If the teachers themselves
have such misconceptions, there is a very
high possibility that these may get trans-
ferred as negative attitude to the students.
The following statements were included in
the teachers’ scale:
 Having sex with a virgin is a cure for STI
 Sexual urge is higher among men than in
women
 Adolescents think that using condoms will
reduce the pleasure of sex
 Gays are boys who are too girlish or less
macho
 There is an association between wet dreams
in boys and the capability of making a girl
pregnant
training, research and action center
 Chapter 4

table b 10.1 Cross tab between teachers’ attitude about myths regarding sex and exposure

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

Attitude towards the Less Favourable Count 13 20 33

myths of sex

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 22.8% 28.2% 25.8%

Favourable Count 31 38 69

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 54.4% 53.5% 53.9%

More Favourable Count 13 13 26

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 22.8% 18.3% 20.3%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square .672(a) 2 .715

Teachers from schools imparting FLE
believed less in such myths (table B.10.1).
This could be because the FLE training
provided them correct and proper knowl-
edge.
11. Responsibility & Contents of FLE
A majority of the teachers (Table B.12.1) and
parents (79%) say it is the joint responsibil-
ity of both to provide FLE to their wards.
Preference is given to biology teachers (Ta-
ble B.12.2) for imparting FLE with female
teachers imparting to girls and male teach-
ers to boys. (Table B.12.3). The preference for
Biology teachers could be because they al-
ready cover topics like reproduction in their

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53
Chapter 5
SUMMARY &
RECOMMENDATIONS
The findings of the study strongly
support providing Family Life Education to
adolescents in school. It clearly reveals the
improved levels of knowledge and more re-
sponsible behavior of adolescents who have
received FLE in school. More importantly,
teachers and parents whose children received
FLE clearly indicate the positive behavioral
outcome of FLE. It unequivocally reveals
that adolescents, their parents and teachers
want Family Life Education to be a part of the
school curriculum.
Adolescents felt that sex education could
be the primary responsibility of either teach-
ers or parents. However, teachers and parents
strongly opined that it is the shared respon-
sibility of both. Teachers prefer female teach-
ers to impart FLE to girls and male teachers
for boys with preference given to the Biology
teacher. Parents have also emphasized on the
need for the PTAs’ active involvement in the
implementation of FLE program in schools.
Most teachers and parents want the FLE
program to cover the physical, social and psy-
chological changes during adolescence. Most
of them also want adolescents to know about
HIV/AIDS and risk of pre-marital sex. Com-
paratively fewer teachers and parents want
topics like masturbation and contraception to
be part of FLE.
Recommendations
Knowledge offers the biggest protection. How-
ever, FLE program should not be reduced to
providing only certain information on sex and
sexuality. More importantly it should not be
relegated as an extension of subjects like biol-
ogy or science. While there are definitely some
links to these subjects, the emphasis should
be on enabling and empowering adolescents
with knowledge as well as skills to deal with
the demands of growing up phase. The focus
54
should be on developing healthy lifestyle and
responsible behavior.
Using a Life Skills approach in impart-
ing FLE to adolescents could make it more
effective. It “improves young people’s abil-
ity to make healthier choices and understand
broader societal issues related to power rela-
tions, social stigma and rights and respon-
sibilities. Life-skills education can also help
young people delay sexual initiation and stay
in schools longer.38”
One of the striking findings across the
study has been the gender disparity in levels of
knowledge amongst adolescents. Adolescent
girls are more at a disadvantage due to their
inaccessibility of accurate, reliable sources of
information and societal restrictions imposed
on them. This multiplies their vulnerability
manifold. It is all the more important that a
structured program provides information to
them and builds their skills to be able to pro-
tect themselves.
The training provided to teachers must
not only focus on increasing their knowledge
levels but also on developing their own atti-
tudes towards sex and sexuality. It should also
build their technical skills like teaching meth-
odology to be able to impart Family Life Edu-
cation with sensitivity and fewer inhibitions.
Parents need to be oriented towards Family
Life Education and should also be provided
guidance in handling their adolescents’ grow-
ing up phase.
Comprehensive national-level strategies
need to be developed to address the myriad
needs and complex issues of young people,
including their right to reproductive health
services. Providing Family Life Education is
a critical component in this spectrum of ser-
vices and a culturally sensitive and appropri-
ate program should be conceived and imple-
mented in our country.
training, research and action center
 Tables

APPENDIX I: TABLES
A - Adolescents’ Knowledge and Attitude

table A.1.5 Multiple Regression for boys for changes in adolescent boys

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 15.140 .000

LANGUAGE .004 .115 .909

Exposed/ Unexposed -.203 -6.459 .000
Age .040 1.346 .178
Type of housing .084 2.619 .009
mother's occupaiton corr -.068 -2.297 .022
father's occupation corr -.011 -.387 .699

table A.1.6 Multiple Regression for girls for changes in adolescent boys

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 11.402 .000
LANGUAGE .018 .464 .643
Exposed/ Unexposed -.142 -3.693 .000
Age .027 .715 .475
Type of housing .044 1.135 .257
Mother's occupaiton corr -.088 -2.332 .020
Father's occupation corr -.090 -2.388 .017

table A.1.7 Multiple Regression for boys for changes in adolescent girls

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 13.793 .000
LANGUAGE -.039 -1.242 .214
Exposed/ Unexposed -.190 -6.041 .000
Age -.020 -.679 .497
Type of housing .079 2.482 .013
Mother's occupaiton corr -.025 -.854 .394
Father's occupation corr -.006 -.202 .840

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table A.1.8 Multiple Regression for girls for changes in adolescent girls

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 11.306 .000
LANGUAGE .044 1.148 .251
Exposed/ Unexposed -.167 -4.307 .000
Age .010 .258 .797
Type of housing -.019 -.492 .623
Mother's occupaiton corr -.050 -1.305 .192
Father's occupation corr -.023 -.598 .550

table A.2.1 AWASEX * Exposed/ Unexposed Cross tabulation

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

Awareness about sex and Low Knowledge Count 314 713 1027
sexuality

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 34.9% 39.1% 37.7%

Moderate Knowledge Count 306 600 906

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 34.0% 32.9% 33.3%

High Knowledge Count 281 509 790

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 31.2% 27.9% 29.0%

Total Count 901 1822 2723

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 5.321(a) 2 .070

table A.2.3 Stepwise Multiple Regression for Awareness about Sex and Sexuality

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 44.662 .000
Sex -.239 -10.535 .000
2 (Constant) 42.177 .000
Sex -.220 -9.384 .000
LANGUAGE -.071 -3.027 .003

table A.2.4 Multiple Regression for boys for Awareness about Sex and Sexuality

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 11.708 .000
LANGUAGE .011 .355 .723
Exposed/ Unexposed -.055 -1.691 .091
Age -.088 -2.886 .004
Type of housing .057 1.734 .083
Mother's occupaiton corr .019 .642 .521
Father's occupation corr .016 .549 .583

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table A.2.5 Multiple Regression for girls for Awareness about Sex and Sexuality

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 6.419 .000
LANGUAGE -.127 -3.331 .001
Exposed/ Unexposed .014 .364 .716
Age .108 2.847 .005
Type of housing -.001 -.026 .979
Mother's occupaiton corr .018 .485 .628
Father's occupation corr .015 .387 .699

table A.3.4 Multiple Regression for Boys for knowledge about routes of transmission of HIV

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 17.303 .000
LANGUAGE -.018 -.600 .549
Exposed/ Unexposed -.276 -9.159 .000
Age -.080 -2.819 .005
Type of housing .103 3.381 .001
Mother's occupaiton corr -.025 -.888 .375
Father's occupation corr -.103 -3.740 .000

table A.3.5 5 Multiple Regression for Girls for knowledge about Routes of Transmission of HIV

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 12.998 .000
LANGUAGE -.122 -3.345 .001
Exposed/ Unexposed -.291 -7.827 .000
Age .004 .123 .902
Type of housing .034 .912 .362
Mother's occupaiton corr -.041 -1.130 .259
Father's occupation corr -.048 -1.322 .186

table A.3.6 Multiple Regression for boys for knowledge of facts about HIV and STI

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 14.698 .000
LANGUAGE .010 .319 .750
Exposed/ Unexposed -.083 -2.576 .010
Age -.034 -1.115 .265
Type of housing .035 1.053 .292
Mother's occupaiton corr -.008 -.267 .789
Father's occupation corr -.009 -.287 .774

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table A.3.7 Multiple Regression for girls for knowledge of facts about HIV and STI

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 7.822 .000
LANGUAGE -.093 -2.449 .015
Exposed/ Unexposed .109 2.802 .005
Age .056 1.482 .139
Type of housing -.038 -.967 .334
mother's occupaiton corr -.029 -.761 .447
father's occupation corr .024 .620 .536

table A.3.8 Multiple Regression for boys for Knowledge about HIV/AIDS

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 13.286 .000
LANGUAGE -.044 -1.348 .178
Exposed/ Unexposed -.095 -2.955 .003
Age -.015 -.475 .635
Type of housing .016 .498 .618
Mother's occupaiton corr -.037 -1.231 .218
F ather's occupation corr .003 .107 .915

table A.3.9 Multiple Regression for Girls for Knowledge about HIV/AIDS

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 13.286 .000
LANGUAGE -.044 -1.348 .178
Exposed/ Unexposed -.095 -2.955 .003
Age -.015 -.475 .635
Type of housing .016 .498 .618
mother's occupaiton corr -.037 -1.231 .218
father's occupation corr .003 .107 .915

table A.4.1 Stepwise Multiple Regression for Knowledge about symptoms of STI in men

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 44.827 .000
Sex -.150 -6.496 .000
2 (Constant) 40.151 .000
Sex -.164 -6.868 .000
LANGUAGE .054 2.257 .024

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table A.4.2 STIWOMEN * Sex Cross tabulation

Sex Total

Boys Girls

Knowledge about symp- Low Knowledge Count 399 273 672

toms of STI in women

% within Sex 23.6% 26.5% 24.7%

Moderate Knowledge Count 824 400 1224

% within Sex 48.6% 38.9% 45.0%

High Knowledge Count 471 356 827

% within Sex 27.8% 34.6% 30.4%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 25.617(a) 2 .000

table A.4.3 Stepwise Multiple Regression for Knowledge about symptoms of STI in women

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 52.437 .000
LANGUAGE .051 2.198 .028

table A.4.4 Multiple Regression for boys for knowledge about symptoms of STI in men

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 11.529 .000
LANGUAGE .059 1.817 .069
Exposed/ Unexposed -.093 -2.861 .004
Age .022 .723 .470
Type of housing .052 1.575 .116
Mother's occupaiton corr .035 1.172 .241
Father's occupation corr .021 .693 .489

table A.4.5 Multiple Regression for girls for knowledge about symptoms of STI in Men

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 11.529 .000
LANGUAGE .059 1.817 .069
Exposed/ Unexposed -.093 -2.861 .004
Age .022 .723 .470
Type of housing .052 1.575 .116
Mother's occupaiton corr .035 1.172 .241
Father's occupation corr .021 .693 .489

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table A.4.6 Multiple Regression for girls for knowledge about symptoms of STI in Women

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 7.666 .000
LANGUAGE .074 1.941 .053
Exposed/ Unexposed .050 1.277 .202
Age .079 2.068 .039
Type of housing -.018 -.453 .651
Mother's occupaiton corr -.007 -.193 .847
Father's occupation corr -.014 -.356 .722

table A.5.2 Table A.5.2 SEXABUSE * Sex Cross tabulation

SEX Total

Boys Girls

Knowledge about sexual Low Knowledge Count 305 315 620

abuse

% within Sex 18.0% 30.6% 22.8%

Moderate Knowledge Count 804 422 1226

% within Sex 47.5% 41.0% 45.0%

High Knowledge Count 585 292 877

% within Sex 34.5% 28.4% 32.2%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 58.139(a) 2 .000

table A.5.3 Stepwise Multiple Regression for Knowledge about Sexual Abuse

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 60.095 .000
LANGUAGE -.112 -4.834 .000
2 (Constant) 37.499 .000
LANGUAGE -.098 -4.196 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.086 -3.676 .000
3 (Constant) 33.381 .000
LANGUAGE -.081 -3.338 .001
Exposed/ Unexposed -.087 -3.731 .000
Sex -.065 -2.719 .007

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table A.5.4 Multiple Regression for girls for Knowledge about Sexual Abuse

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 8.952 .000
LANGUAGE -.108 -2.833 .005
Exposed/ Unexposed -.005 -.137 .891
Age .066 1.724 .085
Type of housing -.025 -.644 .520
Mother's occupaiton corr .042 1.096 .273
Father's occupation corr -.017 -.440 .660

table A.6.2 The stepwise multiple regression for knowledge about masturbation

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 54.840 .000
Sex -.317 -14.319 .000
2 (Constant) 39.559 .000
Sex -.317 -14.353 .000
Age .059 2.683 .007
3 (Constant) 39.114 .000
Sex -.302 -13.182 .000
Age .067 3.021 .003
LANGUAGE -.058 -2.528 .012

table A.6.3 Multiple Regression for girls for knowledge about masturbation

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 7.437 .000
LANGUAGE -.072 -1.880 .061
Exposed/ Unexposed .035 .906 .365
Age .128 3.386 .001
Type of housing -.062 -1.587 .113
Mother's occupaiton corr -.015 -.405 .685
Father's occupation corr .000 .009 .993

table A.7.1 Multiple Regression for boys for knowledge about menstruation and pregnancy

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 10.965 .000
LANGUAGE .025 .770 .442
Exposed/ Unexposed -.171 -5.379 .000
Age -.010 -.328 .743
Type of housing .096 2.969 .003
Mother's occupaiton corr -.004 -.119 .905
Father's occupation corr .028 .946 .344

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table A.7.2 menstruation and pregnancy* sex cross tabulation

Sex Total

Boys Girls

Knowledge about men- Low Knowledge Count 655 417 1072

struation and preganancy

% within Sex 38.7% 40.5% 39.4%

Moderate Knowledge Count 400 180 580

% within Sex 23.6% 17.5% 21.3%

High Knowledge Count 639 432 1071

% within Sex 37.7% 42.0% 39.3%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 14.774(a) 2 .001

table A.7.4 Multiple regression for girls for knowledge about menstruation and pregnancy

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 8.840 .000
LANGUAGE -.198 -5.253 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.009 -.240 .810
Age .097 2.574 .010
Type of housing -.052 -1.359 .175
Mother's occupaiton corr .029 .783 .434
Father's occupation corr -.012 -.310 .756

table A.8.2 Incorrect Knowledge * Sex Cross tabulation

Sex Total

Boys Girls

Incorrect Knowledge Low Knowledge Count 211 133 344

% within Sex 12.5% 12.9% 12.6%

Moderate Knowledge Count 536 383 919

% within Sex 31.6% 37.2% 33.7%

High Knowledge Count 947 513 1460

% within Sex 55.9% 49.9% 53.6%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 10.385(a) 2 .006

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table A.8.3 Multiple Regression for Incorrect Knowledge with Enter method

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 19.189 .000
LANGUAGE .046 1.805 .071
Exposed/ Unexposed -.080 -3.253 .001
Age .008 .319 .750
Type of housing -.011 -.451 .652
Mother's occupaiton corr .012 .522 .602
Father's occupation corr -.011 -.466 .641
Sex -.057 -2.363 .018

table A.8.4 Multiple Regression for Girls for Incorrect Knowledge

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 10.971 .000
LANGUAGE .049 1.274 .203
Exposed/ Unexposed -.028 -.712 .477
Age .079 2.074 .038
Type of housing -.018 -.455 .649
Mother's occupaiton corr -.029 -.763 .445
Father's occupation corr -.012 -.311 .756

table A.9.2 Multiple Regression for Attitude towards Learning about Sex and Sexuality

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 38.430 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.188 -8.194 .000
2 (Constant) 31.969 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.187 -8.157 .000
father's occupation corr -.047 -2.031 .042

table A.9.3 Multiple Regression for Boys Attitude towards Learning about Sex and Sexuality

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 15.873 .000
LANGUAGE .076 2.399 .017
Exposed/ Unexposed -.231 -7.356 .000
Age -.042 -1.423 .155
Type of housing .044 1.394 .164
Mother's occupaiton corr -.037 -1.246 .213
Father's occupation corr -.054 -1.879 .061

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table A.9.4 Incorrect Knowledge * Sex Cross tabulation

LANGUAGE Total

English Hindi Marathi

Attitude towards Low Favorable Count 416 186 326 928

Learning about Sex and
Sexuality

% within Language 33.1% 27.7% 41.0% 34.1%

Favorable Count 567 263 333 1163

% within Language 45.1% 39.2% 41.8% 42.7%

More Favorable Count 273 222 137 632

% within Language 21.7% 33.1% 17.2% 23.2%

Total Count 1256 671 796 2723

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 64.878(a) 4 .000

table A.10.2 ABSTINENCE * Sex Cross tabulation

Sex Total

Boys Girls

Attitude Towards Low Favorable Count 581 507 1088

Abstinence

% within Sex 34.3% 49.3% 40.0%

Favorable Count 596 276 872

% within Sex 35.2% 26.8% 32.0%

More Favorable Count 517 246 763

% within Sex 30.5% 23.9% 28.0%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 59.885(a) 2 .000

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table A.10.3 Multiple Regression for girls for Attitude towards Abstinence

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 7.804 .000
LANGUAGE -.114 -2.986 .003
Age .081 2.129 .034
Type of housing -.023 -.581 .562
Mother's occupaiton corr -.015 -.404 .686
Father's occupation corr -.009 -.224 .823
Exposed/ Unexposed .009 .224 .823

table A.11.1 STIGHIV * Exposed/ Unexposed Cross tabulation

Exposure to FLE Total

Exposed Unexposed

Awareness about sex and Low Favorable Count 159 474 633
sexuality

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 17.6% 26.0% 23.2%

Favorable Count 305 724 1029

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 33.9% 39.7% 37.8%

More Favorable Count 437 624 1061

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 48.5% 34.2% 39.0%

Total Count 901 1822 2723

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 55.121(a) 2 .000

table A.11.2 Multiple Regression for Attitude towards stigma related to HIV/AIDs

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 40.186 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.146 -6.337 .000
2 (Constant) 33.686 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.145 -6.293 .000
Father's occupation -.058 -2.518 .012

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table A.11.4 11.4 Multiple Regression for boys – Attitude towards HIV/STI

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 12.030 .000
mother's occupaiton corr -.012 -.314 .754
father's occupation corr -.016 -.414 .679
LANGUAGE -.011 -.289 .773
Exposed/ Unexposed -.179 -4.633 .000
Age .032 .844 .399
Type of housing -.060 -1.543 .123

table A.11.6 11.6 STIGHIV * LANGUAGE Crosstab

LANGUAGE Total

English Hindi Marathi

Attitude towards Low Favorable Count 252 152 229 633

Learning about Sex and
Sexuality

% within Language 20.1% 22.7% 28.8% 23.2%

Favorable Count 520 205 304 1029

% within Language 41.4% 30.6% 38.2% 37.8%

More Favorable Count 484 314 263 1061

% within Language 38.5% 46.8% 33.0% 39.0%

Total Count 1256 671 796 2723

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 47.481(a) 4 .000

table A.12.1 PEER PRESSURE * Exposed/ Unexposed Cross Tabulation

Exposure to FLE Total

Exposed Unexposed

Awareness about sex and Less Favorable Count 115 274 389
sexuality

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 12.8% 15.0% 14.3%

Favorable Count 269 590 859

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 29.9% 32.4% 31.5%

More Favorable Count 517 958 1475

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 57.4% 52.6% 54.2%

Total Count 901 1822 2723

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

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Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 5.969(a) 2 .051

table A.12.2 Multiple Regression for Boys Attitude towards Peer pressure

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 13.345 .000
LANGUAGE .051 1.566 .118
Exposed/ Unexposed -.018 -.569 .569
Age .058 1.885 .060
Type of housing .100 3.042 .002
Mother's occupaiton corr -.007 -.244 .808
Father's occupation corr -.008 -.269 .788

table A.12.3 Multiple Regression for girls Attitude towards Peer pressure

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 16.058 .000
LANGUAGE .005 .144 .885
Exposed/ Unexposed -.241 -7.678 .000
Age -.048 -1.627 .104
Type of housing .033 1.034 .301
Mother's occupaiton corr -.026 -.886 .376
Father's occupation corr .014 .475 .635

table A.13.2 Multiple Regression for Girls’ Attitude towards Myths and Misconceptions

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 10.029 .000
LANGUAGE -.019 -.500 .617
Exposed/ Unexposed -.071 -1.812 .070
Age -.017 -.434 .665
Type of housing -.031 -.797 .426
Mother's occupaiton corr -.008 -.197 .844
Father's occupation corr -.053 -1.391 .165

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Chapter 3

table A.13.3 MYTHS* Sex Cross Tabulation

Sex Total

Boys Girls

Attitude Towards Low Favorable Count 439 362 801

Abstinence

% within Sex 25.9% 35.2% 29.4%

Favorable Count 360 205 565

% within Sex 21.3% 19.9% 20.7%

More Favorable Count 895 462 1357

% within Sex 52.8% 44.9% 49.8%

Total Count 1694 1029 2723

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 27.314(a) 2 .000

table A.13.4 Stepwise Multiple Regression for Attitude towards Myths and Misconceptions

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 38.943 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.190 -8.273 .000
2 (Constant) 32.775 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.188 -8.217 .000
Sex -.060 -2.610 .009
3 (Constant) 30.655 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.181 -7.793 .000
Sex -.060 -2.613 .009
Age -.048 -2.059 .040

table A.13.5 MYTHS * Age Crosstabulation

AGE Total

13-14 15-16 17-18

Attitude towards Myths Low Favorable Count 464 320 17 801

and Misconceptions

% within Age 27.5% 32.7% 31.5% 29.4%

Favorable Count 340 212 13 565

% within Age 20.1% 21.7% 24.1% 20.7%

More Favorable Count 886 447 24 1357

% within Age 52.4% 45.7% 44.4% 49.8%

Total Count 1690 979 54 2723

% within Age 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

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Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 12.862(a) 4 .012

table A.13.4 Stepwise Multiple Regression for Attitude towards Myths and Misconceptions

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 58.269 .000
LANGUAGE -.197 -8.620 .000
2 (Constant) 37.257 .000
LANGUAGE -.180 -7.817 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.106 -4.576 .000
3 (Constant) 33.018 .000
LANGUAGE -.165 -6.907 .000
Exposed/ Unexposed -.107 -4.626 .000
Sex -.058 -2.444 .015

table A.14.4 STEREOTYPES ABOUT GIRLS * LANGUAGE Cross tabulation

LANGUAGE Total

English Hindi Marathi

Attitude towards stereo- Low Favorable Count 263 237 307 807
types about girls

% within Language 20.9% 35.3% 38.6% 29.6%

Favorable Count 468 272 290 1030

% within Language 37.3% 40.5% 36.4% 37.8%

More Favorable Count 525 162 199 886

% within Language 41.8% 24.1% 25.0% 32.5%

Total Count 1256 671 796 2723

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 124.157(a) 4 .000

table A.14.5 Multiple regression for boys for attitude towards stereotypes about girls

Model Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
1 (Constant) 14.270 .000
LANGUAGE -.103 -3.250 .001
Age -.019 -.644 .519
Type of housing .054 1.682 .093
mother's occupaiton corr .020 .677 .499
father's occupation corr -.021 -.733 .464
Exposed/ Unexposed -.137 -4.319 .000

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B - Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitude

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about changes in adolescent
table B.1.3 boys and Language of the respondents

LANGUAGE Total

English Hindi Marathi

Knowledge about Low Favorable Count 17.2% 12.0% 15.6% 15.6%

changes in adolescent
(boys

% within Language 23 8 21 52

Favorable Count 39.7% 32.0% 46.7% 40.6%

% within Language 25 14 17 56

More Favorable Count 43.1% 56.0% 37.8% 43.8%

% within Language 58 25 45 128

Total Count 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 10.879(a) 4 .028

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about changes

table B.1.4 in adolescent girls and Language of the respondents

LANGUAGE Total

English Hindi Marathi

Knowledge about Low Favorable Count 16 5 13 34

changes in adolescence
(girls)

% within Language 27.6% 20.0% 28.9% 26.6%

Favorable Count 19 9 21 49

% within Language 32.8% 36.0% 46.7% 38.3%

More Favorable Count 23 11 11 45

% within Language 39.7% 44.0% 24.4% 35.2%

Total Count 58 25 45 128

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 4.201(a) 4 .379

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Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about changes

table B.1.5 in adolescent boys and age of the respondents

AGE Total

25-35 36-45 45-Above

Knowledge about Low Knowledge Count 9 10 1 20

changes in adolescent
(boys)

% within Age 19.1% 20.8% 3.0% 15.6%

Moderate Count 24 16 12 52
Knowledge

% within Age 51.1% 33.3% 36.4% 40.6%

High Count 14 22 20 56
Knowledge

% within Age 29.8% 45.8% 60.6% 43.8%

Total Count 47 48 33 128

% within Age 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 10.879(a) 4 .028

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about

table B.1.6 changes in adolescent girls and age of the respondents

AGE Total

25-35 36-45 45-Above

Knowledge about Low Knowledge Count 11 17 6 34

changes in adolescence
(girls)

% within Age 23.4% 35.4% 18.2% 26.6%

Moderate Count 19 18 12 49
Knowledge

% within Age 40.4% 37.5% 36.4% 38.3%

High Count 17 13 15 45
Knowledge

% within Age 36.2% 27.1% 45.5% 35.2%

Total Count 47 48 33 128

% within Age 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 4.461(a) 4 .347

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 Tables

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about

table B.1.7 changes in adolescent boys and teaching experience of the respondents

EXP Total

Less than More than

15-years 15-years

Knowledge about Low Knowledge Count 16 4 20

changes in adolescent
(boys)

% within Exp 19.8% 8.5% 15.6%

Moderate Count 35 17 52
Knowledge

% within Exp 43.2% 36.2% 40.6%

High Count 30 26 56
Knowledge

% within Exp 37.0% 55.3% 43.8%

Total Count 81 47 128

% within Exp 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 5.041(a) 2 .080

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about

table B.1.8 changes in adolescent girls and experience of the respondents

EXP Total

Less than More than

15-years 15-years

Knowledge about 1 Count 24 10 34

changes in adolescence
(girls)

% within Exp 29.6% 21.3% 26.6%

2 Count 33 16 49

% within Exp 40.7% 34.0% 38.3%

3 Count 24 21 45

% within Exp 29.6% 44.7% 35.2%

Total Count 81 47 128

% within Exp 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 3.046(a) 2 .218

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 Tables

Cross tab between Teachers knowledge about

table B.1.9 changes in adolescent boys and sex of the respondents

SEX Total

Male Female

Knowledge about Low Knowledge Count 8 12 20

changes in adolescent
(boys)

% within Sex 20.0% 13.6% 15.6%

Moderate Count 14 38 52
Knowledge

% within Sex 35.0% 43.2% 40.6%

High Count 18 38 56
Knowledge

% within Sex 45.0% 43.2% 43.8%

Total Count 40 88 128

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 1.187(a) 2 .552

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about

table B.1.10 changes in adolescent girls and sex of the respondents

SEX Total

Male Female

Knowledge about Low Knowledge Count 10 24 34

changes in adolescence
(girls)

% within Sex 25.0% 27.3% 26.6%

Moderate Count 19 30 49
Knowledge

% within Sex 47.5% 34.1% 38.3%

High Count 11 34 45
Knowledge

% within Sex 27.5% 38.6% 35.2%

Total Count 40 88 128

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 2.315(a) 2 .314

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 Tables

Cross tab between Teachers knowledge about

table B.2.1 symptoms of STI in women and exposure of the respondents

Exposure to FLE Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about symp- Less Favorable Count 12 17 29

toms of STI in women

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 21.1% 23.9% 22.7%

Favorable Count 13 20 33

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 22.8% 28.2% 25.8%

More Favorable Count 32 34 66

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 56.1% 47.9% 51.6%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed/ Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square .887(a) 2 .642

Cross tab between teachers knowledge about

table B.2.2 symptoms of STI in men and language of the respondents

LANGUAGE Total

English Hindi Marathi

Knowledge about symp- Low Knowledge Count 27 8 13 48

toms of STI in men

% within Language 46.6% 32.0% 28.9% 37.5%

Moderate Count 11 5 6 22
Knowledge

% within Language 19.0% 20.0% 13.3% 17.2%

High Count 20 12 26 58
Knowledge

% within Language 34.5% 48.0% 57.8% 45.3%

Total Count 58 25 45 128

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 6.054(a) 4 .195

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 Tables

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about

table B.2.3 symptoms of STI in women and Language of the respondents

LANGUAGE Total

English Hindi Marathi

Knowledge about symp- Low Knowledge Count 15 7 7 29

toms of STI in women

% within Language 25.9% 28.0% 15.6% 22.7%

Moderate Count 13 10 10 33
Knowledge

% within Language 22.4% 40.0% 22.2% 25.8%

High Count 30 8 28 66
Knowledge

% within Language 51.7% 32.0% 62.2% 51.6%

Total Count 58 25 45 128

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 6.864(a) 4 .143

Cross tab between teachers Knowledge on

table B.2.4 facts about STI and Language of the respondents

LANGUAGE Total

English Hindi Marathi

Knowledge about facts 1.00 Count 7 3 2 12

about STI

% within Language 12.1% 12.0% 4.4% 9.4%

2.00 Count 23 7 9 39

% within Language 39.7% 28.0% 20.0% 30.5%

3.00 Count 28 15 34 77

% within Language 48.3% 60.0% 75.6% 60.2%

Total Count 58 25 45 128

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 8.210(a) 4 .084

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 Tables

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about

table B.2.5 symptoms of STI in men and sex of the respondents

SEX Total

Male Female

Knowledge about symp- Low Knowledge Count 13 35 48

toms of STI in men

% within Sex 32.5% 39.8% 37.5%

Moderate Count 8 14 22
Knowledge

% within Sex 20.0% 15.9% 17.2%

High Count 19 39 58
Knowledge

% within Sex 47.5% 44.3% 45.3%

Total Count 40 88 128

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square .717(a) 2 .699

Cross tab between teachers’ knowledge on facts

table B.2.6 about STI/HIV and the sex of the respondents

SEX Total

Male Female

Knowledge about facts Low Knowledge Count 3 9 12

about STI

% within Sex 7.5% 10.2% 9.4%

Moderate Count 5 34 39
Knowledge

% within Sex 12.5% 38.6% 30.5%

High Count 32 45 77
Knowledge

% within Sex 80.0% 51.1% 60.2%

Total Count 40 88 128

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 10.192(a) 2 .006

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 Tables

Cross tab between Knowledge on routes of

table B.2.8 HIV Transmission and Years of teaching experience

EXP Total

Less than More than

15-years 15-years

Knowledge about routes Low knowledge Count 18 15 33

of HIV transmission

% within Exp 22.2% 31.9% 25.8%

Moderate Count 17 16 33
knowledge

% within Exp 21.0% 34.0% 25.8%

High knowledge Count 46 16 62

% within Exp 56.8% 34.0% 48.4%

Total Count 81 47 128

% within Exp 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 6.227(a) 2 .044

Cross tab between teachers’ knowledge about

table B.3.2 sexual abuse and medium of instruction of the school

LANGUAGE Total

English Hindi Marathi

Knowledge about Sexual Low knowledge Count 14 6 17 37

Abuse

% within Language 24.1% 24.0% 37.8% 28.9%

Moderate Count 8 7 14 29
knowledge

% within Language 13.8% 28.0% 31.1% 22.7%

High knowledge Count 36 12 14 62

% within Language 62.1% 48.0% 31.1% 48.4%

Total Count 58 25 45 128

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 10.651(a) 4 .031

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 Tables

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about

table B.4.1 types of sexuality and Exposure of the respondents

Exposure to FLE Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about types of Low Knowledge Count 14 27 41

sexuality

% within Exposed 24.6% 38.0% 32.0%

Moderate Count 37 42 79
Knowledge

% within Exposed 64.9% 59.2% 61.7%

High Knowledge Count 6 2 8

% within Exposed 10.5% 2.8% 6.3%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 4.967(a) 2 .083

Cross tabulation between Knowledge about

table B.4.2 menstruation and Exposure of the respondents

Exposure to FLE Total

Exposed Unexposed

Knowledge about men- Low Knowledge Count 6 9 15

struation

% within Exposed/ 10.5% 12.7% 11.7%

Moderate Count 18 41 59
Knowledge

% within Exposed 31.6% 57.7% 46.1%

High Knowledge Count 33 21 54

% within Exposed 57.9% 29.6% 42.2%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 10.831(a) 2 .004

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 Tables

Cross tab between Teachers Knowledge about

table B.4.3 menstruation and medium of instruction of schools

LANGUAGE Total

English Marathi Hindi

Knowledge about men- Low knowledge Count 6 2 7 15

struation

% within Language 10.3% 8.0% 15.6% 11.7%

Moderate Count 25 5 29 59
knowledge

% within Language 43.1% 20.0% 64.4% 46.1%

High knowledge Count 27 18 9 54

% within Language 46.6% 72.0% 20.0% 42.2%

Total Count 58 25 45 128

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 18.827(a) 4 .001

Cross tab between teachers’ incorrect

table B.5.1 knowledge and exposure

Exposure Total

1 2

Teachers incorrect Low Knowledge Count 12 31 43

knowledge

% within Exposed 21.1% 43.7% 33.6%

Moderate Count 19 22 41
Knowledge

% within Exposed 33.3% 31.0% 32.0%

High Knowledge Count 26 18 44

% within Exposed 45.6% 25.4% 34.4%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 8.642(a) 2 .013

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 Tables

Cross tab between Teachers attitude

table B.6.2 towards sex education and medium of instruction of schools

LANGUAGE Total

English Marathi Hindi

Attitude towards Sex Low Favorable Count 14 5 22 41

% within Language 24.1% 20.0% 48.9% 32.0%

Favorable Count 15 4 10 29

% within Language 25.9% 16.0% 22.2% 22.7%

High Favorable Count 29 16 13 58

% within Language 50.0% 64.0% 28.9% 45.3%

Total Count 58 25 45 128

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 11.893(a) 4 .018

Cross tab between teachers attitude

table B.7.1 towards stigma related to HIV and exposure

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

stigma related attitudes of Low Favorable Count 6 10 16

teachers

% within Exposed/ 10.5% 14.1% 12.5%

Favorable Count 32 48 80

% within Exposed 56.1% 67.6% 62.5%

High Favorable Count 19 13 32

% within Exposed 33.3% 18.3% 25.0%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 3.840(a) 2 .147

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 Tables

Cross tab between Attitude of teachers

table B.8.1 towards girls’ sexual behavior and sex of the respondents

SEX Total

Male Female

Attitude towards girls Low Favorable Count 5 15 20

sexual behaviour

% within Sex 12.5% 17.0% 15.6%

Favorable Count 17 15 32

% within Sex 42.5% 17.0% 25.0%

High Favorable Count 18 58 76

% within Sex 45.0% 65.9% 59.4%

Total Count 40 88 128

% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 9.516(a) 2 .009

Cross tabulation of teachers’ knowledge

table B.9.1 about teenagers’ keenness to experiment with sex

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

Teachers Knowledge Disagree Count 22 18 40

about adolescents
keenness

% within Exposed 38.6% 25.4% 31.3%

Agree Count 35 53 88

% within Exposed 61.4% 74.6% 68.8%

Total Count 57 71 128

% within Exposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 2.581(b) 1 .108

Frequency of teachers’ knowledge about

table B.9.2 teenagers’ keenness to experiment with sex

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Valid Disagree 40 31.3 31.3 31.3

Agree 88 68.8 68.8 100.0

Total 128 100.0 100.0

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 Tables

Frequency- Sex education is primarily

table B.11.1 the responsibility of teachers, parents or both

Frequency Percent

Valid Teachers 91 71.1

Parents 97 75.8

Both 125 97.7

Frequency- Only biology teachers are

table B.11.2 responsible for teaching sex education

Frequency Percent

Valid Disagree 24 18.8

Agree 104 81.3

Total 128 100.0

Frequency – Only female teachers should impart

table B.11.3 sex education to girls and male teachers to boys

Frequency Percent

Valid Disagree 72 56.3

Agree 56 43.8

Total 128 100.0

C - Attitude of Parents
SEX EDUCATION RESULT *
table C.1.1 Exposed/Unexposed: Cross Tabulation

Exposure Total

Exposed Unexposed

Attitude towards the Less Favorable Count 77 94 171

outcome of FLE

% within Exposed/Unexposed 23.2% 35.2% 28.5%

Favorable Count 114 136 250

% within Exposed /Unexposed 34.3% 50.9% 41.7%

More Favorable Count 141 37 178

% within Exposed /Unexposed 42.5% 13.9% 29.7%

Total Count 332 267 599

% within Exposed /Unexposed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 58.020(a) 2 .000

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 Tables

Multiple regression for Parents for stigma

table C.1.2 & discrimination related to HIV/AIDS with exposure

Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

Beta
(Constant) 24.989 .000
Exposed/Unexposed -.228 -4.935 .000
(Constant) 15.794 .000
Exposed/Unexposed -.211 -4.606 .000
educational qualification .175 3.821 .000

Attitude towards stereotypes about girls*

table C.1.3 language: Cross tabulation

LANGUAGE Total

English Marathi Hindi

Attitude towards stereo- Low Favorable Count 74 122 78 274

types about girls

% within Language 32.0% 49.4% 51.7% 43.6%

Favorable Count 113 108 57 278

% within Language 48.9% 43.7% 37.7% 44.2%

High Favorable Count 44 17 16 77

% within Language 19.0% 6.9% 10.6% 12.2%

Total Count 231 247 151 629

% within Language 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 28.712(a) 4 .000

puberty and adolescent s *

table C1.4 age: Cross tabulation

AGE Total

35-45 46- 55
years years

Attitude towards the Low Favorable Count 193 33 226

students in relationship

% within Age 38.0% 27.3% 35.9%

Favorable Count 220 53 273

% within Age 43.3% 43.8% 43.4%

High Favorable Count 95 35 130

% within Age 18.7% 28.9% 20.7%

Total Count 508 121 629

% within Age 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 8.074(a) 2 .018

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83
 References
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Ravi K. Verma, S. Sureender and M. Gurus-
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Understanding youth sexuality: A study of col-
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Ramasubban 1992; Sehgal, Sharma and Bhat-
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http://www.avert.org
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Petition Committee rejects Sex Education
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1997, 481-486
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Gender and socio economic differentials of ad-
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Opinion on school - based intervention and
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The Benefits of Sex Education and Counseling,
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Alexandra McManus and Lipi Dhar
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Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1992
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29Adolescents and Sexuality, SECASA
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Development, Facilitator’s Guide, June 2005
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NACO, 2006
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NACO,2009
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Kerala towards HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted
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Medical Journal of India, 2000; 13:231-6
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López & Fuertes, 1999, López, F. & Fuertes, A.
(1999). Para compreender a sexualidade. Lisboa:
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EQUATE Technical Brief: Gender, Education,
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training, research and action center
 Committed Communities Development Trust (CCDT) was
founded in Mumbai in 1990 and is a voluntary, secular trust registered
under the Bombay Public Trust Act of 1950.

It helps provide marginalized communities with social relevance

through comprehensive programs of integrated health services, so-
cial education and community development. CCDT works in resource
constrained conditions, with disadvantaged communities living in the
slums, pavements and red light areas in Mumbai. Stigma and discrimi-
nation, gender empowerment and the participation of People Living
with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) are the three cross cutting themes in the organi-
zation. Children are at the center of all our programs.

This study has been conducted by CCDT’s Training, Research & Ac-
tion Center (TRAC). It is part of the organization’s vision of creating
a far-reaching impact through action-based research and training for
programs that are replicable and sustainable.

For more information, contact us at

Committed Communities Development Trust
42, Chapel Road, Bandra (West) Mumbai - 400 050, India
Tel: +91-22-6688 1900 / 1901 +91- 22-26443345 Fax: +91- 22 - 6688 1915
Email: contact@ccdtrust.org Website: www.ccdtrust.org