Level of Awareness of PrEP among the General Population and HealthCare Providers in Kisumu County

Abstract

BACKGROUND Even though the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence has stabilized, the disease continues to pose challenges, with about 1.3 million cases reported globally and over 22,000 reported in Kenya, making it necessary to use Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as one of the effective ways used to prevent infection among individual at risk. The study aimed to assess the awareness level of PrEP among the general population in Kisumu County, Kenya.

METHODOLOGY The study used a cross-sectional mixed-methods design where data were collected in January 2024 using a questionnaire and key informant interviews with health care providers (HCPs). We used random systematic sampling to select 435 participants from the outpatient departments of selected facilities in Kisumu. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of eight health care providers in these facilities. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data, while narrative analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data.

RESULTS Out of the total number of participants, a majority was female (73.79%) and married (63.91%). In addition, 8 health care providers (HCPS) were purposively sampled for in-depth interviews. Most of the participants (97.24%) had ever heard of Prep, with more than half (58.85%) first hearing about it from a healthcare provider. However, this knowledge varied with some participants having poor or scanty knowledge (28.74%), average knowledge (32.64%) and good knowledge (35.86%). Most of the participants (88.97%) would recommend PrEP to others. There was a low proportion of participants (9.89%) who said that their associates had myths concerning PrEP, with some believing that it lowers libido, causes infertility and continual use can make one acquire HIV. Healthcare providers revealed a high level of knowledge and understanding of PrEP and suggested the creation of awareness not only to the PrEP clients but also to the larger community.

CONCLUSION There was a general high level of PrEP awareness among participants. However, the varying knowledge levels among participants, as well as the existence of myths and misconceptions, emphasise the need for targeted educational campaigns among the general population on this subject.