Attracting youth to voluntary counseling and testing services in Uganda

Abstract

Little is known about the use of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) by youth, a group that comprises more than half of those newly infected with HIV. An exploratory study conducted in Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala and Masaka in Uganda revealed that young people want information, confidentiality, low-cost HIV testing, and friendly, professional counseling. Two facilities in Kampala, the AIDS Information Center (AIC) and Naguru Teenage Information and Health Center (NTIHC), implemented new youth-oriented strategies to increase VCT utilization and satisfaction with services among young people. In 2001, AIC established a youth corner behind the regular adult clinic with a separate gate so youth could enter in privacy. In 2002, NTIHC began offering VCT two days per week. This brief presents findings from exit interviews conducted with youth 14–21 years old leaving services at AIC and NTIHC. It also draws on in-depth interviews with exit interview participants and on focus groups conducted with tested and untested youth.