Community Perceptions About Use of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Kenya.
Jaclyn N Escudero, Julia C Dettinger, Jillian Pintye and 8 others
PMID 32675642WHAT IT FOUND
Community leaders in Kenya identified myths, stigma, and judgmental care as barriers to PrEP uptake in young women.
They recommended moving PrEP delivery out of HIV clinics into family planning and community settings, and training staff to be youth-friendly.
Key findings
01Participants reported that young women avoid PrEP due to myths about infertility and HIV treatment resistance, and because PrEP pills look identical to HIV treatment drugs.
02Stigma arises when young women are seen collecting PrEP at HIV care clinics, leading to assumptions they are living with HIV.
03Community leaders recommended integrating PrEP into family planning and maternal health clinics, and using community health volunteers for refills to improve access and privacy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was restricted to Community Advisory Board members, who are already engaged with HIV prevention programs and may not represent the broader community's views. Participants were familiar with PrEP and supportive of its use, which may have influenced how they interpreted community beliefs. The study did not include direct input from adolescent girls and young women, relying instead on stakeholder perceptions.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the recommendations as evidence that moving PrEP delivery to family planning clinics improves uptake. This study reports stakeholder opinions on barriers and solutions, not the outcomes of implementing those solutions.