{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T05:27:08Z","timestamp":1790141228519,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771804800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000061","name":"Fogarty International Center","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["D43 TW010037"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["D43 TW010037"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000061","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100019274","name":"National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["D43 TW010037"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["D43 TW010037"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100019274","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosglobalpublichealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Glob Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) bear a disproportionate burden of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, but HIV testing in this sub-population is sub-optimal. HIV self-testing (HIVST) is an evidence-based intervention that has been shown to improve testing rates among AGYW; however, its acceptability in this sub-population remains under-explored. We assessed the acceptability of HIVST and associated factors among HIV high-risk AGYW. We enrolled HIV high-risk AGYW consecutively from Kampala and Wakiso districts in a community-based cross-sectional study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Acceptability was defined as willingness to use HIVST services if provided, and was measured as a composite outcome using the seven constructs of the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA) where each construct was assessed using one 5-level Likert item question weighted 1\u20135. The sum of scores was computed and participants with a score &gt;21 was regarded as accepting HIVST. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data and a mixed effects modified Poisson was used to assess factors associated with acceptability of HIVST. Between December 2024 and May 2025, 377 HIV high-risk AGYW of mean age 19.7 years (standard deviation (SD): 2.7) were enrolled in the study of which 55.2% reported having a sexually transmitted infection in the past six months. The acceptability of HIVST was 90.2% (95%CI: 86.7, 92.8). Adjusted analysis showed that having multiple sexual partners, consistent condom use, no history of sexual violence and PrEP use in the past six months, and HIV testing in the past 12 months were significantly associated with greater willingness to use HIVST. HIVST is highly acceptable among the AGYW studied, and this presents a potential opportunity that can be leveraged to scale-up HIVST services. Future implementation efforts could consider strategies that address both behavioral risks and psychological vulnerabilities to optimize uptake and impact of HIVST.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0005857","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T18:22:57Z","timestamp":1771870977000},"page":"e0005857","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Acceptability of HIV self-testing among HIV high-risk Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in urban settings in Uganda"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"6","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5807-5799","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Laban","family":"Muteebwa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0458-2111","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Joanita","family":"Nangendo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0193-6252","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Dan","family":"Muramuzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shivan","family":"Nuwasiima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8315-4891","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ivan","family":"Ahimbisibwe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Edson","family":"Atwine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5289-673X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Cathbert","family":"Tumusiime","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Patience A.","family":"Muwanguzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0624-7640","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Fred C.","family":"Semitala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"pgph.0005857.ref001","unstructured":"Joint United Nations Program on HIV\/AIDS. 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Integrating gender into HIV\/AIDS programmes in the health sector: tool to improve responsiveness to women\u2019s needs. 2009."},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0005857.ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"32","DOI":"10.1186\/s12981-020-00287-y","article-title":"Social response to the delivery of HIV self-testing in households: experiences from four Zambian HPTN 071 (PopART) urban communities","volume":"17","author":"C Bwalya","year":"2020","journal-title":"AIDS Res Ther"},{"issue":"4","key":"pgph.0005857.ref036","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0195391","article-title":"Acceptability and performance of a directly assisted oral HIV self-testing intervention in adolescents in rural Mozambique","volume":"13","author":"J Hector","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"3","key":"pgph.0005857.ref037","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"182","DOI":"10.1089\/trgh.2019.0085","article-title":"Willingness to Use HIV Self-Testing and Associated Factors Among Transgender Women in Malaysia","volume":"5","author":"R Shrestha","year":"2020","journal-title":"Transgend Health"},{"issue":"3","key":"pgph.0005857.ref038","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1097\/QAI.0000000000001502","article-title":"The Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Women\u2019s Distribution and Use of HIV Self-Tests With Male Partners: Evidence From a Cohort Study in Kenya","volume":"76","author":"EM Schaffer","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr"},{"key":"pgph.0005857.ref039","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"978","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-024-09178-3","article-title":"Experience of social harms among female sex workers following HIV self-test distribution in Malawi: results of a cohort study","volume":"22","author":"P Mee","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"pgph.0005857.ref040","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1177\/2158244019830016","article-title":"Prevalence and Associations, by Age Group, of IPV Among AGYW in Rural South Africa","volume":"9","author":"A Selin","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sage Open"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0005857.ref041","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1186\/s12981-020-00311-1","article-title":"Level of knowledge, acceptability, and willingness to use oral fluid HIV self-testing among medical students in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania: a descriptive cross-sectional study","volume":"17","author":"PA Vara","year":"2020","journal-title":"AIDS Res Ther"},{"key":"pgph.0005857.ref042","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"932948","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.932948","article-title":"Assessing young Kenyan women\u2019s willingness to engage in a peer-delivered HIV self-testing and referral model for PrEP initiation: A qualitative formative research study","volume":"10","author":"M McGowan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"pgph.0005857.ref043","unstructured":"World Health Organization. HIV self-testing and PrEP: opportunities for scale-up. A guide for implementers and ministries of health. 2024. http:\/\/prepwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PrEP-and-HIVST-Opportunities-for-Scale-up.pdf"},{"issue":"6","key":"pgph.0005857.ref044","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0317808","article-title":"Acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis and associated factors among HIV-negative young men in Kagwara fishing community-Serere district, Uganda: A cross-sectional study","volume":"20","author":"A Omoding","year":"2025","journal-title":"PLoS One"}],"container-title":["PLOS Global Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0005857","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T18:23:03Z","timestamp":1771870983000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0005857"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Janet","family":"Seeley","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]]},"references-count":44,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0005857","relation":{},"ISSN":["2767-3375"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2767-3375","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]]}}}