"If you find that I am HIV positive, don't tell me": Exploring the barriers and recommendations for HIV prevention services utilization among youth in rural southwestern Uganda.

ABSTRACT: Globally, the majority of new HIV infections are recorded in Eastern and Southern Africa, with the youth being disproportionately affected. HIV prevention is the cornerstone of controlling the spread of HIV and ending this epidemic by 2030. However, barriers to the utilization of HIV prevention services remained underexplored especially among the youth in rural settings in sub-Saharan Africa. This qualitative study, conducted between February and April 2022 in rural southwestern Uganda, explored these barriers and identified recommendations to improve the utilization of HIV prevention services among youth. We conducted six focus group discussions (with youth [15-24 years] both in and out of school), nine in-depth interviews (with teachers, health workers, and members of the village health

SUBMITTER: Ssali PW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11398690 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature