SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC AND PROGRAMMATIC CORRELATES OF SUSTAINABLE HIV-PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOURS AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN AGED 15-24 YEARS RESIDING IN MUKURU SLUMS IN NAIROBI

Abstract

The high incidence of HIV infections among slum-dwelling adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) has been attributed to the numerous and often layered vulnerabilities that they encounter, including unfavourable power relations that are worsened by age-disparate sexual relations, limited access to sexual and reproductive health information; and violence against women. Despite the large and immediate HIV prevention need of young women, there is a dearth of information on which factors are associated with practice of sustainable HIV protective behaviours; and the programme models that are most efficacious for eliciting the behaviours in the sUb-population. The purpose of the study was to determine social demographic and programmatic correlates of sustainable HIV-protective behaviours among adolescent girls and young \vomen aged 15-24 years residing in Mukuru Slums in Nairobi. This was done by assessing HIV protective behaviours practiced by the participants who had benefited from three different HIV prevention programme models at least one year before. This research contributes to the realization of the Kenya AIDS Strategic Framework (KASF) 2014/152018119 which guides Kenya's response to the HIV epidemic. In this retrospective COhOl1 study, purposive sampling was used to select the three programmes and probability proportionate to size sampling was used to select the young women from among previous beneficiaries of the programmes. A total of 423 respondents rarticred in the stUdJ inciUdin~ 207 rTVi?mllrrni1~ij 1 1 rr ·r~11 ~~m rm