Does Venue of HIV Testing and Results Disclosure in the Context of a Research Study Affect Adolescent Health and Behavior? Results from a Study in Western Kenya

Winnie Kavulani Luseno, Samuel H. Field, Bonita J. Iritani, Fredrick S. Odongo, Daniel Kwaro and Stuart Rennie
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Winnie Kavulani Luseno: Chapel Hill Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
Samuel H. Field: Chapel Hill Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
Bonita J. Iritani: Chapel Hill Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
Fredrick S. Odongo: Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kisumu 1578-40100, Kenya
Daniel Kwaro: Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kisumu 1578-40100, Kenya
Stuart Rennie: Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: Ethical concerns about risks to minor adolescents participating in HIV prevention research is a barrier to their inclusion. One concern is whether HIV testing and results disclosure venue affects the health and behavior of adolescent participants. We assessed for differential effects on quality of life (QOL), depressive symptoms, and sexual behavior due to (1) testing venue (home or health facility) and (2) test result (HIV-positive, HIV-negative, indeterminate). We collected data at three timepoints (baseline, 2-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up) from 113 Kenyan adolescents aged 15–19 (51% female). We analyzed the data using linear mixed effects models for the QOL and depressive symptoms outcomes and a logistic model for the sexual behavior outcome. Results showed a small mental health benefit for adolescents tested for HIV at a health facility compared with home. There was little evidence that testing venue influenced sexual behavior or that test results moderated the effects of HIV testing across all outcomes. The decision to conduct HIV testing at home or a health facility may not be very consequential for adolescents’ health and behavior. Findings underscore the need to critically examine assumptions about adolescent vulnerability to better promote responsible conduct of HIV prevention research with youth in sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: adolescent research participation; HIV testing and results disclosure; quality of life; depressive symptoms; sexual risk behavior; sub-Saharan Africa; HIV prevention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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