Correlates of willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among young people impacted by HIV in Uganda

We assessed the correlates of willingness to use PrEP among young people (YP) impacted by HIV in Uganda. This cross-sectional study included 905 YP aged 18-21 years, orphaned to AIDS and participating in a longitudinal study in Uganda. Willingness to use PrEP, the primary outcome, was measured using a hypothetical scenario. "If PrEP were safe, effective, free, and used by few people around you, how likely would you be willing to use it?" Independent variables included sociodemographic characteristics, perceived HIV risk, PrEP stigma, barriers to PrEP use, and social support. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between willingness to use PrEP and the independent variables, adjusting for clustering. 74.7% of participants reported willingness to use PrEP. Older age and perceived risk of HIV were associated with a higher likelihood of willingness to use PrEP (aOR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.21 and aOR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.26, 2.17 respectively). Perceived PrEP stigma was associated with lower willingness (aOR = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.21, 0.42). YP impacted by HIV, show high willingness to use PrEP, influenced by age, risk perception, and stigma.