Nyanza Initiative for Girls Education and Empowerment, Kisumu, Kenya.
Impact Research and Development Organization, Kisumu, Kenya.
Afr Health Sci. 2021 Sep;21(3):1059-1066. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v21i3.13.
Adolescent girls (AG) in sub-Saharan Africa are at elevated risk of acquiring HIV, yet few know the HIV status of their sexual partners. Interventions to promote testing among partners are urgently needed.
To explore AG's perceived ability to safely distribute HIV self-tests to their partners, if partners would self-test, and how to minimize partner violence.
We recruited HIV-negative AG ages 15-19 years with a partner of unknown HIV status or who tested negative >6 months previously. Using mixed-methods for data collection and regression and inductive thematic analysis for quantitative and qualitative analysis, respectively, we determined factors associated with the study objectives.
We enrolled 101 AG, median age 17.3 years, sexual debut 15-16 years, and 54.5% reported ≥2 lifetime partners. Most participants (95.0%) would offer self-tests to their partners and 95.1% reported high-to-moderate chance their partner would self-test. No participant attribute was associated with perceived ability to offer self-test or likelihood of partner testing. To avoid violence, AG recommended politeness, indirect approach, voluntariness, and highlighting advantages of self-testing.
AG believe they can safely distribute self-tests to their partners, and most partners would self-test, expanding utility of HIV self-tests to include partners of AG.
撒哈拉以南非洲的少女（AG）感染艾滋病毒的风险较高，但很少有人知道其性伴侣的艾滋病毒状况。迫切需要采取干预措施来促进伴侣进行检测。
探讨 AG 安全地将 HIV 自检包分发给其伴侣的能力，如果伴侣愿意自检，以及如何将伴侣暴力的风险降到最低。
我们招募了 101 名年龄在 15-19 岁之间、HIV 检测结果为阴性的 AG，其伴侣的 HIV 状况未知，或在 6 个月前检测结果为阴性。我们分别使用混合方法进行数据收集和回归分析，以及使用归纳主题分析进行定量和定性分析，以确定与研究目标相关的因素。
我们招募的 AG 平均年龄为 17.3 岁，性初潮年龄为 15-16 岁，54.5%的人报告有≥2 个性伴侣。大多数参与者（95.0%）愿意向伴侣提供自检包，95.1%的人报告说其伴侣自检的可能性很高。没有参与者的属性与提供自检包的能力或伴侣检测的可能性相关。为了避免暴力，AG 建议保持礼貌、间接的方法、自愿性和突出自检的优势。
AG 认为他们可以安全地将自检包分发给伴侣，而且大多数伴侣都愿意自检，这将扩大 HIV 自检包的用途，包括 AG 的伴侣。
