PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS RETENTION AMONG FEMALE SEX WORKERS, KAMPALA CAPITAL CITY, UGANDA

Introduction: Despite all the interventions to promote the retention of female sex workers on Pre-exposure prophylaxis, it continues as a public health concern, resulting in HIV transmission, especially in developing countries. In Uganda, poor retention of female sex workers on Pre-exposure prophylaxis is among the leading contributors to HIV prevalence, contributing to 45% of HIV transmission rates among sex workers every year. The study assessed factors associated with pre-exposure prophylaxis retention among female sex workers at Kitebi Health Centre III, Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda.

Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional study design on 186 participants selected by simple random sampling. Questionnaires and a key informant interview guide were administered to study participants to aid the data collection process. SPSS software version 20.0 was used for data analysis. Bivariate and Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the key factors associated with pre-exposure prophylaxis retention among female sex workers at a 95%confidence interval.

Results: The study found that PrEP retention was low at 34%. Findings also indicated that among individual factors, the majority or a high proportion of the FSWs who participated in the study were aged below 29 years (53.8%), were primary level graduates (53.2%), belonging to protestant religion (32.3%), were not married (82.8%), had low perceived stigma (95.2%), had high-risk perception (57.5%), had perceived pill burden (80.1%). The statistically significant associated factors were: perceived stigma (COR = 0.06 [0.01 - 0.46], p = 0.007), perceived pill burden (COR = 0.04 [0.02 - 0.11], p = 0.000) and perceived attitude of health workers (COR = 0.05 [0.01 - 0.20], p = 0.000). The Pre-exposure prophylaxis retention rate is very low. Pill burden, perceived stigma and perceived attitude of health workers were identified as predictors of pre-exposure prophylaxis retention among female sex workers. These findings highlight the need for a multifaceted approach to improve PrEP retention, addressing individual and health system factors to maximise the effectiveness of this crucial HIV prevention intervention.