Peer-led and adult-led school health education: a critical review of available comparative research

Abstract

Peer-led health education in school is widely used. Advocates suggest it is an effective method based on the belief that information, particularly sensitive information, is more easily shared between people of a similar age. Critics suggest that this is a method not based on sound theory or evidence of effectiveness. This review evaluates school-based health education programmes which have set out to compare the effects of peers or adults delivering the same material. The identified studies indicated that peer leaders were at least as, or more, effective than adults. Although this suggests that peer-led programmes can be effective, methodological difficulties and analytical problems indicate that this is not an easy area to investigate, and research so far has not provided a definitive answer.