"I was still very young": agency, stigma and HIV care strategies at school, baseline results of a qualitative study among youth in rural Kenya and Uganda.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYAH) have the lowest rates of retention in HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, partly due to the demands of school associated with this life stage, to HIV-related stigma and to fears of serostatus disclosure. We explore the implications of school-based stigma and disclosure on the development of agency during a critical life stage in rural Kenya and Uganda.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative study in the baseline year of the SEARCH Youth study, a combination intervention using a life-stage approach among youth (15-24 years old) living with HIV in western Kenya and southwestern Uganda to improve viral load suppression and health outcomes. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews in 2019 with

SUBMITTER: Johnson-Peretz J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9274360 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature