# mHealth Intervention to Increase Uptake of Contraception and PrEP Among Female University Students in Zambia

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2023 · $179,547

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
HIV infection and unintended pregnancy are highly prevalent, life-altering events among adolescent girls and
young women in low- and middle-income countries. Due to a number of biological, social, and structural factors,
adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa remain the sub-population most susceptible to HIV
infection. Further, the majority of pregnancies among adolescent girls and young women occur in low- and
middle-income countries with the highest rates found in sub-Saharan Africa. In Zambia, female university
students are a neglected, high-risk sub-population for both HIV infection and unintended pregnancy. Oral pre-
exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and modern contraception are key biomedical prevention tools but increasing the
uptake among young women in sub-Saharan Africa has proven challenging. Based on preliminary research, we
propose to design a novel peer navigator PrEP/contraception mhealth intervention targeting high-risk female
students at the University of Zambia. The peer-navigator intervention will be facilitated by a tablet-based platform
to assess HIV and unintended pregnancy risk, provide education and information, link high-risk young women to
sexual and reproductive services, assess preferences for peer support, track the use of health services, and
provide ongoing support for PrEP and contraception uptake and persistence through regular communication.
Using a mixed methods phased approach guided by integrated behavioral and mHealth theories, we will first
adapt an existing app (PEBRA) using Human-Centered Design and qualitative methods to create a new tablet-
based app to serve as a platform for peer navigators to promote and track PrEP and contraception use among
high-risk female students (Aim 1, R21 phase). After several iterations have been evaluated by stakeholders, we
will test the app and peer-navigator intervention package in a small prospective single-arm trial, collecting data
on the functionality of the app and the acceptably/appropriateness of the peer-navigator intervention (Aim 2, R21
phase). After refining the app and intervention package, we will then thoroughly test the mHealth intervention
through a single-site hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial to 1) determine the
effectiveness of the intervention to increase PrEP use and modern contraceptive use, 2) establish underlying
behavioral mechanisms, and 3) evaluate implementation-related factors that will enhance the likelihood for the
mHealth intervention to be implemented, sustained, and scaled (Aim 3, R33 phase). If proven effective, the peer-
navigator mHealth intervention will provide a scalable model to fill-in persistent gaps in HIV prevention and
reproductive health among young women in high HIV prevalence low- and middle-income country settings.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10673744
- **Project number:** 5R21MH131281-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Karen Marie Hampanda
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $179,547
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10673744

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10673744, mHealth Intervention to Increase Uptake of Contraception and PrEP Among Female University Students in Zambia (5R21MH131281-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10673744. Licensed CC0.

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