Fred M. Ssewamala|Ozge Sensoy Bahar|Ye?im Tozan|Proscovia Nabunya|Larissa Jennings Mayo-Wilson|Joshua Kiyingi|Joseph Kagaayi|Scarlett L. Bellamy|Mary M. McKay|Susan S. Witte
A combination intervention addressing sexual risk-taking behaviors among vulnerable women in Uganda: study protocol for a cluster randomized clinical trial
Washington University in St. Louis|Washington University in St. Louis|New York University|Washington University in St. Louis|Indiana University Bloomington|Rakai Health Sciences Program|Drexel University|Washington University in St. Louis|Columbia University
subsaharan africa ssa highest number people living hivaids nigeria south africa uganda accounting 48 new infections systematic review hiv burden among women engaged sex work wesw 50 low middleincome countries found increased odds hiv infection relative general female population social structural factors sex work environment violence stigma cultural issues criminalization sex work critical shaping sexually transmitted infection stihiv risks among wesw clients uganda poverty commonly cited reason involvement sex work ssa backdrop study protocol describes randomized controlled trial rct tests impact adding economic empowerment traditional hiv risk reduction hivrr reduce new incidence stis hiv among wesw rakai greater masaka regions ugandathis threearm rct evaluate efficacy adding savings financial literacy vocational trainingmentorship traditional hivrr reducing new incidence sti infections among 990 wesw across 33 hotspots three arms n 330 1 control group hivrr versus 2 treatment group 1 hivrr plus savings plus financial literacy hivrr fl 3 treatment group 2 hivrr plus plus fl plus vocational skills training mentorship v hivrr fl v data collected baseline pretest 6 12 18 24months postintervention initiation study use embedded experimental mixed methods design qualitative data collected postintervention across conditions explore participant experienceswhen wesw access capital andor alternative forms employment start earning formal income outside sex work may better able improve skills employability professional advancement thereby reducing stihiv risk study findings may advance understanding best implement genderspecific hiv prevention globally engaging women across hiv treatment cascade results provide evidence interventions efficacy reduce stis inform implementation sustainability including costs costeffectivenessclinicaltrialsgov id nct03583541