Bangladesh: RH curriculum enhances vocational students\u27 knowledge and behavior

In 2004, the Population Council’s FRONTIERS Program and the Bangladesh Ministry of Youth and Sports collaborated on an intervention to introduce reproductive health education into government-run vocational-training courses. The training, offered to males and females aged 15–30, includes livestock husbandry, electronics, and secretarial work. The intervention built upon the positive results of the 1999 Bangladesh Youth Reproductive Health Study, which introduced a life-skills curriculum into secondary schools. The interactive reproductive health curriculum was modified to suit older adolescents and youth attending courses at vocational training centers. Topics included reproductive biology, family planning, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, critical thinking, and negotiation skills. As noted in this brief, researchers used a pre-intervention survey and two post-test questionnaires to measure the effect of training on participants’ reproductive health knowledge and attitudes. Qualitative data were also obtained through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and discussions with students and staff. When reproductive health education was integrated with vocational training programs in Bangladesh, students’ knowledge, attitudes, and life skills related to reproductive health improved