Gender, transactional sex, and HIV prevention cascade engagement among urban refugee and displaced adolescents and youth in Kampala, Uganda

ABSTRACT

HIV prevention needs among urban refugee and displaced youth engaged in transactional sex are understudied. We examined associations between transactional sex and the HIV prevention cascade among urban refugee/displaced youth in Kampala, Uganda. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a peer-driven sample of refugee/displaced adolescent girls and young women (n = 324) and adolescent boys and young men (n = 88) aged 16–24 living in Kampala’s informal settlements. We conducted gender-disaggregated multivariable linear and logistic regressions to examine associations between past 12-month transactional sex and: lifetime HIV testing, condom self-efficacy, and recent [past 3-month] consistent condom use. Among the 27% of young women reporting transactional sex, 63% reported HIV testing. In multivariable analyses with young women, transactional sex was associated with higher condom self-efficacy, increased consistent condom use, but not HIV testing. Among the 48% of young men reporting transactional sex, 50% reported HIV testing. In multivariable analyses with young men, transactional sex was associated with lower HIV testing but not with condom self-efficacy or consistent condom use. Young men were 68% less likely to report HIV testing if transactional sex engaged. Findings point to urgent HIV testing gaps among transactional sex engaged urban refugee/displaced youth and a need for gender-tailored HIV prevention strategies.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• Uganda
• youth
• refugees
• urban
• transactional sex

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge all of the peer navigators and participants, as well as collaborating agencies: Ugandan Ministry of Health, Office of the Prime Minister, Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID), Tomorrow Vijana, Most At Risk Populations Initiative (MARPI), and InterAid Uganda.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. CHL was also supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Canada Research Chairs program, and Ontario Ministry of Research & Innovation Early Researcher Award, Institute of Gender and Health. Funders played no role in the design of the study or collection, analysis, interpretation of data, or writing the manuscript.