# Building Capacity to Reduce HIV-Related Stigma among Adolescents in Western Kenya

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2021 · $154,198

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Kenya has one of the world's largest HIV and AIDS epidemics, with about 1.6 million people living with HIV and
25,000 people dying from AIDS in 2018. Adolescents, especially girls, are particularly vulnerable to HIV. In
western Kenya, over 50% of adolescents had sexual intercourse before the age of 18; however, youth between
the ages of 15-19 have low rates of condom use and HIV testing. Stigma negatively affects HIV prevention
behaviors, including condom use and HIV testing. In Kenya, complex interactions between social capital,
religiosity, and biological sex shape societies' discriminating attitudes towards youth perceived to be infected
with HIV (i.e., social stigma), which, in turn, affects HIV prevention. The University of Iowa is partnering with
Tangaza University College (Nairobi) and Gynocare Women's and Fistula Hospital (Eldoret) to elucidate the
complex relationship between social capital, religiosity, sex, and HIV-related stigma among adolescents (ages
15-19) and its impact on HIV prevention in western Kenya.
Focusing on three counties in western Kenya, this two-year, mixed-methods project will develop contextualized
measures of social capital, religiosity, and HIV-related stigma (Aim 1); determine the relationship between
social capital, religiosity, sex, HIV-related stigma, and HIV-preventive behaviors using quantitative methods
(Aim 2); and explicate the relationships between social capital, religiosity, sex, and HIV-related stigma using
qualitative methods (Aim 3). For Aim 1, cognitive interviewing techniques will be used with a purposive sample
of 12 girls and 12 boys to contextualize and validate a 13-item social capital instrument, a 10-item religiosity
scale, and a 27-item instrument to assess social stigma related to HIV. The psychometric properties of these
contextualized measures will be assessed through a pilot survey administered to a sample of 100 adolescents.
For Aim 2, a survey that includes the validated measures developed in Aim 1 will be administered to 765
randomly selected unmarried girls and boys (ages 15-19) from in western Kenya. Multiple regression analysis
will be used to examine the association between (1) social capital and HIV-preventive behaviors (i.e., condom
use and HIV testing), and the potential mediating role of social stigma; and (2) social capital and social stigma,
and the potential moderating role of religiosity and sex. For Aim 3, 36 in-depth interviews will be conducted
with adolescents (ages 15-19), parents, religious leaders, teachers, and health care providers to better
understand the complex relationships identified in Aim 2.
Led by an experienced Executive Committee and Advisory Board, this study will develop three new scales and
identify potential pathways to reduce HIV-related stigma and increase HIV-preventive behaviors among
adolescents in western Kenya. This project will also increase the research capacity of two Kenyan institutions
to examine HIV-related stig...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10220167
- **Project number:** 5R21TW011273-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** Nema Aluku
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $154,198
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10220167

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10220167, Building Capacity to Reduce HIV-Related Stigma among Adolescents in Western Kenya (5R21TW011273-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10220167. Licensed CC0.

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