{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,9]],"date-time":"2026-06-09T07:28:07Z","timestamp":1780990087929,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761264000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center\/Global Health Equity Scholars Fellowship","award":["D43TW010540"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["D43TW010540"]}]},{"name":"The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Deans Fund Graduate Student Professional Council"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects more than 39 million people worldwide, with Uganda ranked 10th among countries with the highest number of cases. As new preventative HIV injectables emerge, it is vital to think about how best to tailor strategies to promote these injectable drugs, like PrEP and vaccines, when available, to the different populations most in need. Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are economics-derived methods used to determine factors that influence engagement in a certain behavior. Objective: This study used a DCE to determine the preferences for a preventative HIV injectable drugs\/vaccines among people at risk of HIV acquisition in urban and peri-urban areas of Uganda. Methods: In June 2024, we implemented a cross-sectional DCE survey in three urban sites in Uganda in English and Luganda. The survey collected information on demographics, HIV risk, vaccine confidence and responses to the 13 injection product choice tasks presented to determine preferences. We used community-based, respondent-driven sampling methods to recruit participants from three key populations: (1) female sex workers; (2) people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender; and (3) young women (18\u201324 years). We collected the data on tablets using the Sawtooth Lighthouse Studio software (v. 19.15.6), taking into consideration privacy and confidentiality, given the sensitivity of the information and recent governmental policies in Uganda. Data were analyzed using a split-sample mixed logit regression analysis. The study was approved by local ethical regulatory bodies. Results: From the total of 406 participants screened for this study, 376 participants met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis (85 young women, 159 female sex workers, and 132 who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender). The average age was 23.7 (SD: 5.7). The majority of participants had received some secondary school or vocational school (202, 53.7%) The attributes that explained the preferences were primarily severe compared to mild side effects (\u03b2: \u22120.69, 95% CI: \u22120.78, \u22120.60), a 30% increase in vaccine\/drug effectiveness (\u03b2: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.44), and a 50,000 UGX (or USD ~13.64) increase in cost (\u03b2: \u22120.22, 95% CI: \u22120.27, \u22120.17). There were no significant differences between the preferences for different injectable types. The sensitivity analyses suggested potential differences in preferences by the amount of help participants received from research assistants when completing the survey, although not by income level. Conclusions: Side effects had the greatest impact on participants\u2019 preferences for injectable HIV prevention methods, followed closely by effectiveness and cost. It is therefore essential to develop affordable or free prevention options with minimal side effects. Policymakers should focus on reducing the financial barriers to access and emphasize transparent communication about the effectiveness and safety of these injectables in health promotion campaigns to maximize adoption and improve public health outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines13111090","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T07:41:35Z","timestamp":1761291695000},"page":"1090","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Finding the Sweet Spot: Preferences for Effectiveness, Duration, and Side Effects in a Discrete Choice Experiment Among Uganda\u2019s Key Populations"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1251-4618","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maiya G. Block","family":"Ngaybe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N Martin Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9931-7600","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Richard","family":"Muhumuza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Research Council, Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, 51\/59 Nakiwogo Rd, Entebbe P.O. Box 49, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M\u00e9lanie","family":"Antunes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, King\u2019s College, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ezra","family":"Musingye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Makerere University Walter Reed Program, Plot 42 Nakasero Rd, Kampala P.O. Box 16524, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kawoya Kijali","family":"Joseph","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Makerere University Walter Reed Program, Plot 42 Nakasero Rd, Kampala P.O. Box 16524, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Betty","family":"Nakaggwa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Makerere University Walter Reed Program, Plot 42 Nakasero Rd, Kampala P.O. Box 16524, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephen","family":"Mugamba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Makerere University Walter Reed Program, Plot 42 Nakasero Rd, Kampala P.O. Box 16524, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2031-7377","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bashir","family":"Ssuna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Tuberculosis Implementation Research Consortium (U-TIRC), Kampala P.O. Box 21696, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-8345-8567","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriela","family":"Valdez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N Martin Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3689-6887","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"John","family":"Ehiri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N Martin Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6517-7697","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maia","family":"Ingram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N Martin Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0969-0699","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agnes","family":"Kiragga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Disease Institute, Kampala P.O. Box 22418, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Grace","family":"Mirembe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Makerere University Walter Reed Program, Plot 42 Nakasero Rd, Kampala P.O. Box 16524, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0463-8998","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Betty","family":"Mwesigwa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Makerere University Walter Reed Program, Plot 42 Nakasero Rd, Kampala P.O. Box 16524, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hannah","family":"Kibuuka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Makerere University Walter Reed Program, Plot 42 Nakasero Rd, Kampala P.O. Box 16524, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7818-3394","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Purnima","family":"Madhivanan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N Martin Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA"},{"name":"Public Health Research Institute of India, Mysore 570020, Karnataka, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"UNAIDS (2024, October 30). Uganda Country Factsheet. Available online: https:\/\/www.unaids.org\/en\/regionscountries\/countries\/uganda."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"The World Factbook (2022, May 04). 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