Diffusion of Innovations Theory: A Unifying Framework for HIV Peer Education

Peer education programs are a popular approach to preventing HIV infection among adolescents. While the programs show promise for effectively preventing HIV among the peers who are provided education, little evaluation research has been conducted to determine if the peer educators themselves experience knowledge, attitude, and behavior changes. A review of evaluation literature of adolescent peer educator outcomes reveals the importance of the following best practice themes: recruitment and selection, peer educator training, education curriculum development, and a theoretical base for programs. A peer education model that incorporates diffusion of innovations theory and simultaneously addresses these themes is proposed.