A case study on use of modified delphi technique for developing consensus on designing contents of a module for imparting sex education to adolescents in schools, in India

• Main Authors: Deepak B. Saxena, Pradeep Kumar, Manish Rana, Hitesh M Shah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Makhdoomi Printers 2012-06-01
• Series: Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health
• Subjects: Delphi; Adolescent; School AIDS awareness
• Online Access: http://www.gjmedph.org/uploads/O1-Vo1No3.pdf

In the year 2007, eleven (11) of India’s 29 states suspended the federal initiative, ‘Adolescence Education Program’, under the name of School AIDS awareness education program (SAEP) designed for 15- to 17-year-olds in all staterun schools and devised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) and National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) on grounds that the flip charts used for training teachers contained explicit images of male and female reproductive systems, conception, and contraception. The aim of the present study is to understand usefulness of Delphi technique as a tool to develop contents and make consensus over a suitable module that can be utilized for imparting Sex Education to the Adolescents in school. The study present below used Delphi technique in transaction of the module recommended by National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) for imparting Sex education under SAEP. Although the technique was successful in building consensus amongst different stake holders, within the limitations of Delphi like potential drop outs, loss to follow up and lack of clear verbal labels. It is concluded from the results of present study that Delphi technique, when rigorously administered, analyzed and reported, is a valuable method to help policy planners in developing the process for a suitable module that can be utilized for imparting sex education to adolescents in school.