# Developing a Gender-Enhanced PrEP Information-Motivation Workshop for Young South African Women

> **NIH NIH R34** · NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE DBA RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC · 2020 · $198,760

## Abstract

South African adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) remain at extraordinarily high risk of HIV infection.
Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has the potential to alter the epidemic curve in this vulnerable
population, given compelling evidence that if adhered to, PrEP is efficacious in women. Yet, a critical question
is whether AGYW will adopt and adhere to oral PrEP in numbers sufficient to reduce population incidence.
Creating demand—generating interest among at-risk AGYW, who may know little about PrEP and be wary of
using it—is critical. The barriers that drove non-adherence to PrEP in the VOICE trial—low perceived risk,
stigma around taking ARVs, mistrust of biomedical products, worries about potential adverse effects, and
concerns about partner reactions—may also dampen AGYW's uptake of oral PrEP, even given known efficacy.
But, whereas considerable research is aimed at identifying adherence support approaches for AGYW, limited
attention has focused on creating demand and motivating uptake, a gap we aim to address. We propose that
two innovations can reach young, at-risk AGYW, inform them about PrEP and motivate them to use it: (1)
introducing PrEP through a gender lens in a one-session group workshop; and (2) peer-driven recruitment—
recruiting women to attend the workshop by those who have already attended it. Guided by gender theory and
the Information Motivation Behavior (IMB) model, and in collaboration with a Working Group of AGYW, we will
develop a single-session group-based Gender-Enhanced Workshop to provide PrEP information and address
AGYW's barriers to using it. To inform intervention development, we will conduct eight focus groups with at-risk
AGYW (aged 16-25) and 20 qualitative interviews with men (10 HIV-positive, 10 HIV-negative or of unknown
status) partnered with women in this age range that will explore knowledge of, beliefs about, motivators for,
and concerns about using PrEP in the context of gendered relationship dynamics and PrEP-related stigma. In
a pilot, we will compare AGYW (N=100) randomized to GE or to an Information-Only (IO) Workshop on
undergoing PrEP clinical assessment (primary outcome); if PrEP-eligible, uptake of PrEP and 3-month PrEP
retention (secondary outcomes); and, for all women, hypothesized mediators (risk perception, gender barriers,
peer norms, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, PrEP-stigma, attitudes, information) post-intervention and at
3-months. For Peer-driven recruitment (PDR) AGYW randomized to either workshop type (GE or IO) will be
invited to become Peer Health Advocates (PHAs), who are paid to talk to social network members and refer
them to the workshop type the PHA attended. We will (1) evaluate acceptability and feasibility of PDR using
pre-specified performance criteria (on average >50% attendees become PHAs and >2 recruitees/PHA attend a
workshop); and (2) evaluate reach of PDR (percent who score high on a new HIV risk tool; percent who never
tested or attended family plann...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9954150
- **Project number:** 5R34MH115781-03
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE DBA RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC
- **Principal Investigator:** Jill Hanass-Hancock
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $198,760
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-27 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9954150

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9954150, Developing a Gender-Enhanced PrEP Information-Motivation Workshop for Young South African Women (5R34MH115781-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9954150. Licensed CC0.

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