{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T19:31:40Z","timestamp":1792092700589,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]],"date-time":"2026-01-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768003200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Int J STD AIDS"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Young women in South Africa experience a disproportionate burden of HIV transmission. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) offers an additional HIV prevention option; however, its acceptability and use among young, female university students remain underexplored.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This qualitative study explored perceptions, awareness, and acceptability of oral PrEP among female university students in Durban, South Africa. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 female students aged 18\u201324\u00a0years. Data were thematically analysed to identify key factors shaping PrEP awareness, attitudes, and perceived barriers and facilitators to use.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Participants demonstrated varying levels of awareness of PrEP, often informed by informal sources such as peers, social media, and healthcare encounters. While PrEP was viewed as a potentially empowering HIV prevention option, misconceptions, fear of side effects, stigma associated with HIV-related medication, and concerns about partner reactions constrained acceptability and uptake. Structural barriers, including limited access to youth-friendly services, further influenced interest in PrEP.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The findings highlight the complex social and structural contexts shaping PrEP acceptability among female university students and point to the need for targeted, youth-friendly communication and service delivery approaches.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/09564624261416817","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]],"date-time":"2026-01-10T14:32:41Z","timestamp":1768055561000},"page":"531-537","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["A qualitative assessment of the factors influencing demand for PrEP among female college students in Durban, South Africa"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"37","author":[{"given":"Charmaine","family":"Hlophe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of KwaZulu-Natal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pranitha","family":"Maharaj","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of KwaZulu-Natal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1269-9755","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tronic","family":"Sithole","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of KwaZulu-Natal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","volume-title":"Mid-year population estimates 2021","author":"Statistics South Africa","year":"2021","unstructured":"Statistics South Africa. Mid-year population estimates 2021. Statistics South Africa, 2021."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","volume-title":"Sixth South African national HIV, behavioural and health survey","author":"Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)","year":"2024","unstructured":"Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). Sixth South African national HIV, behavioural and health survey. HSRC Press, 2024."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7448\/IAS.17.4.19730"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1011205"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","volume-title":"Guideline on when to start antiretroviral therapy and on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2015","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Guideline on when to start antiretroviral therapy and on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV. WHO, 2015."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","volume-title":"Global AIDS update 2016: prevention gap report","author":"UNAIDS","year":"2016","unstructured":"UNAIDS. Global AIDS update 2016: prevention gap report. UNAIDS, 2016."},{"issue":"1","key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","first-page":"12","article-title":"PrEP for HIV prevention: evidence, global scale-up, and emerging options","volume":"14","author":"Celum C","year":"2019","unstructured":"Celum C, Baeten JM, Hughes JP, et al. PrEP for HIV prevention: evidence, global scale-up, and emerging options. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2019; 14(1): 12\u201320.","journal-title":"Curr Opin HIV AIDS"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-018-2044-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0227632"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0248307"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09709274.2012.11906470"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13691058.2022.2164065"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1049732315617444"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1191\/1478088706qp063oa"},{"issue":"1","key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","first-page":"1","article-title":"Scared of going to the clinic","volume":"19","author":"Duby Z","year":"2018","unstructured":"Duby Z, Nkosi B, Scheibe A, et al. Scared of going to the clinic. South Afr J HIV Med 2018; 19(1): 1\u20138.","journal-title":"South Afr J HIV Med"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12954-022-00718-1"}],"container-title":["International Journal of STD &amp; AIDS"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/09564624261416817","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/09564624261416817","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/09564624261416817","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T22:47:32Z","timestamp":1777675652000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/09564624261416817"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]]},"references-count":16,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/09564624261416817"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/09564624261416817","relation":{},"ISSN":["0956-4624","1758-1052"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0956-4624","type":"print"},{"value":"1758-1052","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]]}}}