Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Research Division, Impact Research and Development Organization, Kisumu, Kenya.
Glob Public Health. 2022 Dec;17(12):3735-3746. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2022.2092176. Epub 2022 Jun 30.
Oral fluid-based HIV self-testing (HIVST) has emerged as a promising approach to increasing HIV testing coverage, particularly among high-risk populations. Understanding the experiences of women using self-tests and offering them to their sexual partners (secondary distribution) is crucial for determining the potential of HIVST. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted among 32 women at high risk of HIV infection, including women who engage in transactional sex, who participated in a cluster randomised trial of a secondary distribution strategy in western Kenya. Interviews explored how women used self-tests within relationships and how this affected their sexual decision-making. Three key themes emerged: women used HIVST to assess risk prior to engaging in sex with partners; HIVST provided women with increased agency to engage in or end relationships; and women appreciated these benefits and urged expanded access to self-tests. HIVST has the potential to support HIV prevention objectives in settings with high prevalence of HIV. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03135067.
口腔液基艾滋病毒自检 (HIVST) 已成为增加艾滋病毒检测覆盖率的一种有前途的方法，特别是在高危人群中。了解女性使用自检并将其提供给性伴侣（二次分发）的经验对于确定 HIVST 的潜力至关重要。在肯尼亚西部的一项二次分发策略的集群随机试验中，对 32 名感染艾滋病毒风险较高的妇女进行了定性深入访谈。访谈探讨了妇女如何在性关系中使用自检，以及这如何影响她们的性决策。出现了三个主要主题：妇女在与伴侣发生性关系之前使用 HIVST 评估风险；HIVST 赋予妇女更多的权力来参与或结束关系；妇女赞赏这些好处，并敦促扩大自我检测的获取途径。在艾滋病毒流行率较高的环境中，HIVST 有可能支持艾滋病毒预防目标。ClinicalTrials.gov 标识符：NCT03135067。
