Abstract
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) remain underserved and at risk for HIV acquisition in Ethiopia. However, there is significant risk heterogeneity among AGYW with limited consensus on optimal strategies of identifying vulnerable AGYW. This study assessed the utility of venue-based sampling approaches to identify AGYW at increased risk for HIV infection. Venue mapping and time-location-sampling (TLS) methods were used to recruit AGYW from three sub-cities of Addis Ababa, February–June 2018. Interviewer-administered surveys captured socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics. Measures of AGYW vulnerability were assessed geographically and described by venue type. A total of 2468 unique venues were identified, of which 802 (32%) were systematically selected for validation and 371 (46%) were eligible including many sites that would traditionally not be included as venues in need of HIV prevention services. Overall, 800 AGYW were enrolled across 81 sampled venues. AGYW reached were largely out-of-school (n = 599, 75%) with high proportions of AGYW reporting transactional sex (n = 101, 12.6%), food insecurity (n = 165, 20.7%) and migration (n = 565, 70.6%). Taken together, these data suggest the utility of TLS methods in reaching vulnerable, out-of-school AGYW in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Highlights
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are well understood to be at high risk of incident HIV infections in Southern and Eastern Africa [1]
Of 2468 unique venues identified through 688 key informants (KIs) discussions, 802 venues were selected for verification and, of these, 371 were determined to be eligible (Fig. 1)
Among enrolled AGYW, nearly a third (32%, n = 254/800) of AGYW were recruited from construction sites or factories; 19% (n = 148/800) from streets, markets, and transportation centers; 14% (n = 112/800) from hotels and guest houses; 10% (n = 81/800) from brokers’ places; 9% (n = 75/800) from bars/restaurants; 8% (n = 67/800) from youth and training centers; 4% (n = 33/800) from special villages; and 4% (n = 30/800) from other venue types
Summary
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are well understood to be at high risk of incident HIV infections in Southern and Eastern Africa [1]. The HIV epidemic in Ethiopia varies from that of other East African countries with an overall HIV prevalence among adults aged 15–49 of 0.9% [7]. HIV prevalence varies significantly by age, sex, and location, with cisgender women being disproportionately affected [7]. In Addis Ababa, the HIV adult prevalence is estimated to be 3.4% [7], while HIV surveillance data from antenatal clinics estimate that 2.3% of sexually active AGYW are living with HIV [2]. Available data suggest that women in Ethiopia tend to have earlier sexual debut compared to men, with less reported use of condoms [7]. Young women migrating to urban areas in Ethiopia have reported challenging working and living conditions including coerced sex and
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call