Determinants of Continuation on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis: a Case of Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the determinants of continuation on pre-exposure prophylaxis; a case of Nairobi County in Kenya. More specifically, the study focused on two core objectives; firstly was examination of PrEP uptake rates and levels among female sex workers and men who have sex with men within Nairobi County and secondly; examination of factors that affect PrEP continuation among female sex workers and men who have sex with men in Nairobi County. The study adopted a quantitative research design which involved accessing secondary data from Jilinde Data System (JDS), a large program implementing PrEP in Kenya. Probit model was used in empirical data analysis. The study findings showed that 36.55 percent of individuals revisited health facilities for month one continuation in PrEP. The probit model results explain that revisit for PrEP is significantly determined by client’s age, gender and entry point into PrEP. However, different HIV risk profiles were found to have different effects on revisit for PrEP. The study recommends adoption of a multi-sectoral approach in the implementation of PrEP as an intervention for HIV prevention.