Application of psychosocial models to Home-Based Testing and Counseling (HBTC) for increased uptake and household coverage in a large informal urban settlement in Kenya.

Introduction: Home Based Testing and Counselling (HBTC) aims at reaching individuals who have low HIV risk perception and experience barriers which prevent them from seeking HIV testing and counseling (HTC) services. Saturating the community with HTC is needed to achieve the ambitious 90-90-90 targets of knowledge of HIV status, ARV treatment and viral suppression. This paper describes the use of health belief model and community participation principles in HBTC to achieve increased household coverage and HTC uptake.

Do clients receiving Home based testing and counselling (HBTC) utilize the HIV prevention messages delivered? A study among residents in an urban informal settlement in Kenya who previously received HBTC.

Background: Home based HIV testing and counseling (HBTC) increases access to services and is associated with high testing uptake. Alongside testing, individuals are offered HIV prevention messages with an aim of helping them reduce HIV high risk sexual behaviors. This study explored the level of provision and subsequent utilization of HIV prevention messages and associated change in behavior among individuals who had received HBTC previously in an informal settlement.