Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2025 Jul 17;25(1):2478.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22271-9.

Awareness and acceptability of long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention among female students at tertiary learning institutions: a multi-center, institution-based cross-sectional study

Martin Kampamba  1 , Pumulo Munawai  2 , Remmy Sioma  2 , Christabel Mwila Hikaambo  2 , Steward Mudenda  2 , Mukumbi Mutenda  3 , Jean M Mukumbuta  4 , Muchindu Hampango  5 , Muzyamba Malambo  6 , Gunet Mwalungali  7 , Audrey Hamachila  2 , Billy Chabalenge  8 , Jimmy Hangoma  9 , Mashebe Innocent Ngula  2 , Bernard Appiah  10
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Awareness and acceptability of long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention among female students at tertiary learning institutions: a multi-center, institution-based cross-sectional study

Martin Kampamba et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: Acceptability; Awareness; HIV; Long-acting injectab; PrEP; Pre-exposure prophylaxis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The ethical approval of the study was obtained from the University of Zambia Health Science Research Committee (UNZAHSREC). All methods were carried out following relevant guidelines and regulations. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Awareness and acceptability of long acting injectable PrEP
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Source of information about awareness of LAI PrEP (n = 349)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lunkuse JF, Kamacooko O, Muturi-Kioi V, Chinyenze K, Kuteesa MO, Price MA. Mayanja YJBid: low awareness of oral and injectable PrEP among high-risk adolescent girls and young women in Kampala. Uganda. 2022;22(1):467. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tapera T, Odimegwu C, Petlele R, Sello MV, Dzomba A, Aladejebi O, Phiri M. Intersecting epidemics: COVID-19 and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. A systematic review (2020–2022). J Public Health Afr 2023, 14(9). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Murewanhema G, Musuka G, Moyo P, Moyo E, Dzinamarira T. HIV and adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa: A call for expedited action to reduce new infections. IJID Reg. 2022;5:30–2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Muyunda B, Musonda P, Mee P, Michelo, CJFiph. Educational attainment as a predictor of HIV testing uptake among women of child-bearing age: analysis of 2014 demographic and health survey in Zambia. 2018, 6:343166. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Miti A, Thamm S, Müller P, Csáki A, Fritzsche W, Zuccheri GJB. Bioelectronics: A MiRNA biosensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance enhanced by surface-bound hybridization chain reaction. 2020, 167:112465. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances

LinkOut - more resources