The role of religious leaders on the use of HIV/AIDS prevention strategies among young people (15–24) in Lira district, Uganda

Background Young people (15-24 years) bear the highest burden of new infections and are particularly vulnerable because of their highly risky behavior such as early sexual activity. There is paucity of information on the role of religious leaders in the multi-sectoral fight against HIV/AIDS. We exam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2022-10, Vol.17 (10), p.e0276801-e0276801
Main Authors: Murungi, Tom, Kunihira, Irene, Oyella, Pamela, Mugerwa, Moses, Gift, Peruth, Aceng, Mercy Jane, Abolo, Lydia, Puleh, Sean Steven
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Biology and Life Sciences
Condoms
Content analysis
Data analysis
Demographic aspects
Health aspects
HIV
HIV infection
Human immunodeficiency virus
Infections
Marriage
Medicine and health sciences
Messages
People and Places
Prevention
Qualitative analysis
Regression analysis
Religious aspects
Risk factors
Sexual behavior
Sexually transmitted diseases
Social Sciences
STD
Young adults
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Summary:Background Young people (15-24 years) bear the highest burden of new infections and are particularly vulnerable because of their highly risky behavior such as early sexual activity. There is paucity of information on the role of religious leaders in the multi-sectoral fight against HIV/AIDS. We examined the role of religious leaders in the use of HIV prevention strategies among young people. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted between March and April 2021 among 422 randomly selected young people in Lira district, Uganda. An interviewer administered a questionnaire to the young people in order to collect quantitative data. A total 20 key informants were purposively sampled and interviews were conducted with religious leaders using a key informant's interview guide. Data was collected on social demographics, HIV prevention messages, and awareness about HIV prevention strategies. Data was analyzed using Stata version 15 using proportions, means, percentages, frequencies, and logistic regression analysis at a 95% level of significance. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis and the major themes were generated from the participants' responses. Results About 57.1% (241/422) of the respondents were females. The prevalence of use of HIV prevention strategies among young people was 69.4%. Factors significantly associated with the use of HIV prevention included completing the primary level (aOR 4.95, p< 0.05), completing at least A level (aOR 8.85, p <
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0276801