Abstract: Objective To evaluate the effects of lecturing and peer education on AIDS health education among the penitentiary women,and to provide evidence for effective intervention measures for AIDS prevention.Methods By using cluster sampling method,a total of 321 penitentiary women were recruited from the Women Penitentiary Center and divided into two groups.Lecturing and peer education on AIDS education were conducted separaely in the two groups.A selfdesigned questionnaire was used to collect the information about AIDS know ledge and attitude before and after the intervention.Results The scores of AIDS basic know ledge,know ledge of AIDS transmission,know ledge of AIDS prevention,and the total knowledge were 5.99±1.70,10.21±1.95,5.57±1.66,and 21.77±4.16,respectively,after the intervention in the group receiving the lecturing,which were significantly higher than those before the intervention (3.93±2.22,8.91±1.62,5.09±1.70,and 18.16±4.08,respectirely,P< 0.001 for all).In the group receiving peer education,the scores of the AIDS basic know ledge,know ledge of AIDS transmission,know ledge of AIDS prevention,and the total know ledge were 5.12±2.23,10.11±1.50,5.58±1.70,and 20.84±4.10,repectively,after the intervention,w hich were also significantly higher than those before the intervention(3.42±2.13,8.65±1.90,4.50±1.77,and 16.57±4.49; P< 0.001 for all).There was no significant difference in basic knowledge,transmission know ledge,and total score between the two groups (P > 0.05 for all).The score of AIDS prevention knowledge was increased significantly in the group of peer education than that of in the group of lecturing (t=-2.39,P< 0.05).The results from multivariate linear regression analysis showed that age was the main influence factor of the effectiveness of the lecturing,and the lecturing showed better effect in the younger women.Conclusion There is no significant difference in the effect of AIDS health education between lecturing and peer education among the penitentiary women.The effect of the peer education is better for AIDS prevention know ledge than that of lecturing and the effect of the lecturing is better in younger women.