EFFECTS OF PEER EDUCATION ON AWARENESS AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIV AND AIDS AMONG IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Adolescence period is characterized by emotional, intellectual, physical, social and sexual changes and the individual is faced with various challenges. Adolescence according to Conger, Kegan and Mussen (2004) is a period of transition between childhood and adulthood. It is considered to last from ages 10 to 19 and from puberty to full biological /physiological maturation. Within this time frame, adolescents are aected by various developmental transformations including physical, emotional, and social changes. With these changes come many responsibilities and privileges that are different from those of childhood or full adulthood, and these aspects ultimately define the period of adolescence. The word adolescence has it’s origin and meaning from Latin perspective.

In Latin, it implies “to grow into maturity” (Eke, 1989). The author further noted that the common denominator in all adolescents experiences, irrespective of cultural variations, is the biological change from childhood into mature adult status capable of reproduction. According to Eke, during this period, remarkable physical changes take place. Boys and girls experience a spurt in growth. A sharp increase in height for girls at the ages of 11 and 13 and in boys between 13 and 15. There is the presence of growth spurt which leads to the development of primary and secondary sex characteristics. Nworah, (2004) has it that adolescence is a period of rapid transitional or developmental changes from childhood to adulthood. It is a period when the physical and physiological change that accompany the transition from childhood to adulthood become manifest and continues into adulthood. Adolescence as noted by Unachukwu and Ebenebe (2009) cover the age of 12 or 13 till the early twenties.