Kampamba Martin, Munawai Pumulo, Sioma Remmy, Hikaambo Christabel Mwila, Mudenda Steward, Mutenda Mukumbi, Mukumbuta Jean M, Hampango Muchindu, Malambo Muzyamba, Mwalungali Gunet, Hamachila Audrey, Chabalenge Billy, Hangoma Jimmy, Ngula Mashebe Innocent, Appiah Bernard
School of Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacy, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
Department of Pharmacy, Children's Hospital, University Teaching Hospitals, Lusaka, Zambia.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Jul 17;25(1):2478. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22271-9.
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Zambia face an elevated risk of acquiring HIV. Long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (LAI-PrEP) is an effective scientific method to prevent new HIV infections. However, awareness and acceptability of LAI-PrEP among AGYW remain limited. Thus, we aimed to assess awareness and acceptability of LAI-PrEP among female students.
This multi-center, institution-based cross-sectional study involved 760 female students from three universities in Lusaka, Zambia. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Questions on acceptability and awareness were presented in a yes/no format. Data analysis was performed using STATA version 15.1.
Of the 760 participants, less than half, 349 (45.9%), were aware of injectable PrEP, with lectures being the most common source of information. In terms of acceptability, 531 (69.9%) of respondents indicated they would be willing to take LAI-PrEP once available. Biomedical science students were significantly less likely to accept injectable PrEP (AOR = 0.10, CI: 0.01-0.94, p = 0.044), as were those not at risk of HIV in the past three months (AOR = 0.41, CI: 0.21-0.81, p = 0.011). Conversely, knowing a partner's HIV status (AOR = 2.52, CI: 1.27-4.98, p = 0.0001) and being at risk of HIV in the past three months (AOR = 3.4, CI: 1.78-7.81, p = 0.011) were significantly associated with LAI-PrEP acceptability.
The study revealed a notable gap in awareness of LAI-PrEP among participants, with less than half being informed about its existence. Despite this low awareness, a significant majority expressed a willingness to accept LAI-PrEP if it were made available to them. This indicates a strong potential for adoption of LAI-PrEP, contingent upon improved education and awareness efforts.
赞比亚的青春期女孩和年轻女性感染艾滋病毒的风险较高。长效注射暴露前预防（LAI-PrEP）是预防新发艾滋病毒感染的一种有效科学方法。然而，青春期女孩和年轻女性对LAI-PrEP的知晓度和接受度仍然有限。因此，我们旨在评估女学生对LAI-PrEP的知晓度和接受度。
这项多中心、基于机构的横断面研究涉及赞比亚卢萨卡三所大学的760名女学生。数据通过结构化的自填问卷收集。关于接受度和知晓度的问题采用是/否格式呈现。使用STATA 15.1版进行数据分析。
在760名参与者中，不到一半，即349人（45.9%）知晓注射用PrEP，讲座是最常见的信息来源。在接受度方面，531名（69.9%）受访者表示一旦有LAI-PrEP，她们愿意使用。生物医学专业的学生接受注射用PrEP的可能性显著较低（调整后比值比[AOR]=0.10，置信区间[CI]：0.01-0.94，p= 0.044），过去三个月无艾滋病毒感染风险的学生也是如此（AOR=0.41，CI：0.21-0.81，p=0.011）。相反，了解伴侣的艾滋病毒感染状况（AOR=2.52，CI：1.27-4.98，p=0.0001）以及过去三个月有艾滋病毒感染风险（AOR=3.4，CI：1.78-7.81，p=0.011）与LAI-PrEP的接受度显著相关。
该研究揭示了参与者对LAI-PrEP知晓度方面存在显著差距，不到一半的人了解其存在。尽管知晓度较低，但绝大多数人表示如果有LAI-PrEP可供使用，他们愿意接受。这表明在加强教育和提高知晓度的努力下，LAI-PrEP具有很强的采用潜力
