# HIV PrEP Perspectives of Liberian Adolescent Girls and Young Women and their Providers

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2024 · $139,701

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is becoming increasingly available in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and as a
highly effective and user-controlled intervention for HIV prevention holds promise for those most at risk of
infection including adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). However, most of the increased uptake of PrEP
in SSA has been in a handful of countries with the world’s highest HIV rates, and where the HIV prevalence can
influence risk perception and willingness to use PrEP. Despite the rise PrEP in these and other regions where it
is available, most of those eligible for PrEP are not using it, and among those that do begin PrEP, discontinuation
rates in the months after initiation is common, especially for AGYW,
 In West Africa, where HIV rates are lower but unacceptably high, PrEP is beginning to be rolled out. Public
health authorities in Liberia have taken steps to integrate PrEP into the country’s HIV prevention programming
and have recently started pilot clinics to administer PrEP to men who have sex with men, transgender women,
and people who inject drugs. In 2023-24, PrEP will be expanded nationwide to include the largest key population
AGYW. These policymakers are deeply interested in developing PrEP programming that is preference-sensitive
and reflects determinants of PrEP engagement for AGYW in the West African context, which is distinct from
those of other regions of Africa. Therefore, we propose to obtain an in-depth understanding of the PrEP
perceptions and preferences among urban and rural AGYW in Liberia, their male partners, and healthcare
providers – applying the situated Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills (sIMB) model to guide our
investigations. In close collaboration with PrEP planners, we will then use Intervention Mapping framework
processes to directly apply the formative data to the development of implementation planning for PrEP for AGYW.
The resulting implementation options will serve as a roadmap for the critical next stage of PrEP roll-out in Liberia
and serve as a model for similar settings.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10788449
- **Project number:** 5R21MH130265-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Onyema E. Ogbuagu
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $139,701
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-02-15 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10788449

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10788449, HIV PrEP Perspectives of Liberian Adolescent Girls and Young Women and their Providers (5R21MH130265-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10788449. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*