Introduction: Defining the prevention needs, motivations, and gender dynamics influencing adolescent and young people's (AYP's) healthcare access is a key component to successful PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention) implementation. WHO encourages a strong people-cantered approach to healthcare delivery, and this is particularly emphasized for HIV services. Enhanced youth engagement is needed to ensure that interventions are tailored to the specific needs and preferences of youth populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Half of young adults diagnosed with HIV in South Africa start antiretroviral therapy (ART). We developed and field tested a facilitator-guided peer support group called Yima Nkqo ("Standing Tall" in isiXhosa) to promote treatment initiation for young adults newly diagnosed with HIV in communities around Cape Town.
Methods: Following an adapted version of the UK Medical Research Council's framework for developing complex interventions, we 1) identified evidence on previous interventions to improve ART uptake in sub-Saharan Africa; 2) collected and analyzed qualitative data on the acceptability of our proposed intervention; 3) proposed a theoretical understanding of the process of behavior change; and 4) developed an intervention manual and feedback tools.