June 2004

Attracting Youth to Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services in Uganda

A peer counselor is counseling a female youth client at the Naguru Teenage Information and Health Center. Photo credit: Louis Apicella Horizons/Population Council

HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is a valuable way to identify people who need HIV care and has been shown to lead to the adoption of safer sexual behaviors among some groups of adults (Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing Efficacy Study Group 2000). Little is known, however, about the use of VCT by youth, a group that comprises more than half of those newly infected with HIV. An exploratory study conducted in Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala and Masaka in Uganda revealed that youth want information, confidentiality, low-cost HIV testing, and friendly, professional counseling (Horizons 2001). Two facilities in Kampala, Uganda, the AIDS Information Center (AIC) and Naguru Teenage Information and Health Center (NTIHC), responded to these needs by implementing new youth-oriented strategies to increase VCT utilization and satisfaction with services among young people.

• Description of the Interventions
• Methods and Characteristics of the Exit Interview Samples
• Key Findings
• Results Utilization and Dissemination and Program Implications
• References
• PDF format of summary (224 KB)

The study investigators are Edward Kirumira, Leonard Bufumbo, and Nelson Kakande, Sociology Department, Makerere University; Lukanika Hittimana and Daniel Lukenge, AIDS Information Centre (AIC); Edith Mukisa, Naguru Teenage Information and Health Center (NTIHC); Ann McCauley, Horizons/International Center for Research on Women; and Milka Juma and Scott Geibel, Horizons/Population Council.

For more information about this study contact Ann McCauley (amccauley@popcouncil.org) or Edward Kirumira (kirumira@starcom.co.ug).

Suggested citation: McCauley, A. et al. 2004. "Attracting Youth to Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services in Uganda," Horizons Research Summary. Washington, DC: Population Council.

About Horizons

Horizons conducts global operations research to improve prevention, care, and support program. Horizons is implemented by the Population Council under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development. Horizons is implemented by the Population Council in partnership with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Tulane University, Family Health International (FHI), and Johns Hopkins University.

Copyright © 2004 The Population Council

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19 Nov 2007