Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4. The license allows for commercial use. This study was registered on clinicalTrail. HIVST facilitates repeated testing of self, partners, and clients PrEP effectively prevents HIV acquisition but requires high adherence; adherence is the main predictor of effectiveness 39 , Perspectives of policymakers in Ghana also indicate that HIVST is highly acceptable, but national guidelines and stakeholder consultations are necessary for successful implementation Many cannot engage in HIV prevention conversations or be seen buying or holding a condom due to anti-premarital sex perceptions in Ghana 19 , 56 โ Other studies have also reported low PrEP uptake and poor adherence to ART among this key population, with, among other things, stigma being a contributing factor 42 , Through its comprehensive approach, the 3MV intervention effectively empowers participants to make informed decisions about their sexual health, increase HIV testing rates, and adopt preventive measures such as condom use and PrEP The drivers and facilitators of ISD include gender norms, low HIV transmission, prevention and treatment knowledge, moral beliefs associated with HIV, and characteristics of persons e.
Aim 1 will produce the intervention manual. Like other large cosmopolitan areas in SSA, Accra has the highest concentrations of slum communities, with half its population living in about 80 slums.
We consistently found similar results in several studies 13 , 34 , 62 , 64 , 73 , 74 , 81 โ Some use sex work as their primary source of income. Motivators or facilitators: 1 understanding that HIV testing is an HIV prevention strategy; 2 encouragement from friends and peers; 3 understanding risk associated with sexual behaviors such as transactional sex 4 education or information on HIV; 5 access to free testing and incentives; 6 early symptoms and provider recommendation.
Hence,we held a focus group discussion with current and previous PrEP implementing partners 7 gay and bisexual self-identified program implementers and 3 healthcare workers to evaluate the factors affecting the initiation and continuation of PrEP. We found that individual-level elements , e. However, once information about PrEP was provided, there was high acceptability Linkage to care.
In , the identified barriers include community and HCF-level ISD, confidentiality issues, alternative medicine such as herbs and churches, and substance use. These findings highlight the need for interventions that address linkage to care issues, especially disinformation and misinformation among GBMSM and healthcare providers. The status-neutral care will present an innovative care delivery medium, affirming and competent healthcare providers to improve care and eliminate factors e. FGDs have demonstrated suitability in studies of sexual health and capitalize on spontaneous conversational interaction in the group.
