PrEP choices to prevent HIV for young Kenyan women seeking reproductive care
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-11401653 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
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) | $120,024 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH134681-03S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11401653 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are HIV-negative young women (roughly ages 15–30) attending participating reproductive health clinics in Kenya who are at risk for HIV.
✕Less likely to help
This project will not benefit people who are already living with HIV, who do not receive care at the participating Kenyan clinics, or who have medical reasons they cannot use the PrEP products being offered.
What this research studies
If you are a young woman getting reproductive health services in Kenya, researchers will offer different HIV prevention options including daily oral PrEP, a dapivirine vaginal ring, and periodic injectable cabotegravir. Clinic staff will be trained to offer these choices, link supplies, and support women who start a product. The team will track who starts and continues each PrEP product, how often people stop, and how many women remain covered against HIV over time. Researchers will use these real-world clinic experiences to learn which ways of offering PrEP help the most women stay protected.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help more young women remain protected from HIV by matching them to the PrEP option they can use consistently.
How similar studies have gone: Clinical trials have shown that injectable cabotegravir and the dapivirine ring can prevent HIV and sometimes outperform daily pills, but testing how offering multiple choices in routine clinics affects real-world coverage is less common.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Choosing the best PrEP option to prevent HIV for young women in Kenya
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.
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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.
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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.