Abstract

Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is an established option, and the dapivirine vaginal ring is emerging as a promising strategy for HIV prevention option for women. Because of this, understanding the contextual and cultural factors that will support the increased uptake of these products is crucial. In sub-Saharan Africa, religious leaders may be important stakeholders to involve in product information, education and roll-out. We conducted a sub-analysis of data from 232 participants taking part in the MTN-041/MAMMA study to explore religious leaders’ involvement in pregnant and breastfeeding women’s health. Study participants viewed biomedicine and spirituality as interlinked and believed that women could seek health-related care from medical experts and turn to faith-based organisations for religious or spiritual needs. Religious leaders were invested in the health of their congregations, endorsed a variety of sexual health strategies, and were eager to learn more about emerging HIV prevention technologies. These data signal the role of religious leaders in supporting their communities, and the importance of involving religious leaders in efforts to roll out new HIV prevention products to facilitate uptake.

摘要

口服暴露前预防 (PrEP) 是一个既定的选择，dapivirine 阴道环正在成为一种有前途的女性 HIV 预防选择策略。正因为如此，了解将支持增加这些产品的使用的背景和文化因素是至关重要的。在撒哈拉以南非洲，宗教领袖可能是参与产品信息、教育和推广的重要利益相关者。我们对参与 MTN-041/MAMMA 研究的 232 名参与者的数据进行了子分析，以探索宗教领袖对孕妇和哺乳期妇女健康的参与。研究参与者认为生物医学和灵性是相互关联的，并相信女性可以从医学专家那里寻求与健康相关的护理，并转向基于信仰的组织来满足宗教或精神需求。宗教领袖致力于他们会众的健康，支持各种性健康策略，并渴望更多地了解新兴的 HIV 预防技术。这些数据表明宗教领袖在支持其社区方面的作用，以及让宗教领袖参与推出新的 HIV 预防产品以促进吸收的重要性。