Nakamanya, Sarah;
Kawuma, Rachel;
Kibuuka, Denis;
Kusemererwa, Sylvia;
McCormack, Sheena;
Ruzagira, Eugene;
Seeley, Janet;
(2022)
Assessing acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among participants in an HIV vaccine preparedness study in southwestern Uganda.
PLOS ONE
, 17
(7)
, Article e0271104. 10.1371/journal.pone.0271104.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use is highly effective against HIV infection. However, the uptake of PrEP among individuals at high-risk of HIV acquisition in sub-Saharan Africa varies because of availability and acceptability. We assessed the acceptability of PrEP among participants in a prospective HIV vaccine preparedness study in Masaka, southwestern Uganda. METHODS: From November 2018 to August 2019, 20 participants (10 female) were purposively selected for in-depth interviews (IDIs) at 3 and 9 months' post-enrolment in the vaccine preparedness study. Four focus group discussions (FGD) (two among men) were conducted with 29 individuals categorized as: younger (18-24 years) men, younger (18-24 years) women, older (≥30 years) men, and older (≥30 years) women. Apart from IDI specific questions on recent life history including work experience, relationship history and places lived, topics for IDIs and FGDs included knowledge of HIV, perceptions of HIV risk (including own risk), knowledge of and use of PrEP. The Theoretical Framework of Acceptability was used to structure a thematic framework approach for data analysis. RESULTS: Participants understood that PrEP was an oral pill taken daily by HIV negative individuals to prevent acquisition of HIV. Overall, interest in and acceptability of PrEP was high, more than half expressed positivity towards PrEP but were not ready to initiate taking it citing the burden of daily oral pill taking, related side effects, stigma and distrust of PrEP. Fourteen participants (from IDI and FGD) initiated PrEP, although some (one FGD and two IDI participants) stopped taking it due to side effects or perceived reduced risk. CONCLUSION: We observed a keen interest in PrEP initiation among our study participants. However, a limited understanding of PrEP and associated concerns impeded uptake and sustained use. Hence, interventions are needed to address end-user challenges to increase uptake and support adherence.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Assessing acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among participants in an HIV vaccine preparedness study in southwestern Uganda |
| Location: | United States |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0271104 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271104 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2022 Nakamanya et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
| Keywords: | AIDS Vaccines, Anti-HIV Agents, Female, HIV Infections, Humans, Male, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Prospective Studies, Uganda |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Inst of Clinical Trials and Methodology > MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Inst of Clinical Trials and Methodology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10153543 |
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