Choosing the best PrEP option to prevent HIV for young women in Kenya
Official title: Effectiveness of PrEP product choice on HIV prevention coverage among young women in Kenya seeking reproductive health services
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11401652 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers young women getting reproductive health care in Kenya a choice between daily pills, monthly vaginal rings, or long‑acting injections to see which options help more people stay protected from HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | September 14, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $125,306 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH134681-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11401652 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Young women (about ages 15–30) seeking reproductive health services in Kenya who are at risk for HIV are the ideal candidates for this project.
✕Less likely to help
People who are already living with HIV, those not attending participating clinics in Kenya, or individuals unwilling to try alternative PrEP methods are unlikely to benefit from joining.
What this research studies
If you go to a participating reproductive health clinic, staff will offer you different HIV prevention options—daily oral PrEP, a dapivirine vaginal ring, or long‑acting injectable cabotegravir—and let you choose which one to try. Clinic providers will get extra training and support so they can give these options and help with follow-up. The team will track who starts each product, who keeps using it over time, and whether more women stay covered from HIV when they can choose. Results will be used to improve how PrEP is offered inside family planning and other reproductive health services.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more young women could stay protected from HIV because they can pick a prevention method that fits their lives.
How similar studies have gone: Clinical trials have shown that long‑acting injections and vaginal rings can prevent HIV for some women, but using these options in routine clinics and offering product choice to improve real‑world coverage is less tested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Heffron, Renee a. — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Heffron, Renee a.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How choosing PrEP products could improve HIV protection for young women in Kenya
This project looks at which HIV-prevention options young Kenyan women prefer and how choosing a product affects how well they stay protected.
-
Effectiveness of PrEP product choice for HIV prevention among young Kenyan women seeking reproductive health services
A study tests which PrEP options best help young Kenyan women stay protected against HIV when they access reproductive health services.
-
PrEP options for young Kenyan women: improving HIV protection and adherence
This grant tests how different PrEP options for young women in Kenya affect steady HIV protection when they access reproductive health services.
-
PrEP choices to prevent HIV for young Kenyan women seeking reproductive care
This project compares daily PrEP pills, a monthly vaginal ring, and injectable PrEP to find which option helps young women getting reproductive health care in Kenya stay protected from HIV.
-
PrEP choices to better protect young women at reproductive health clinics in Kenya
This project compares daily pills, monthly injections, and vaginal rings to help young women visiting reproductive health clinics in Kenya stay protected from HIV.
-
How different PrEP products can improve HIV prevention for young women in Kenya
This study is looking at how well different HIV prevention methods, like special rings and injections, work for young women in Kenya, and it aims to make it easier for them to use these options by improving support from healthcare providers.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.