Awareness and Barriers to Utilization of HIV Prevention, Care, and Treatment Services Among Youth in Rubirizi District, Uganda.

Abstract: This dataset originates from a study exploring the awareness of HIV prevention services and barriers to utilizing HIV prevention, care, and treatment services among school-going and non-school-going youth aged 15-24 years in Rubirizi District, Uganda. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, with a concurrent nested design combining quantitative and qualitative data. The data only includes responses from structured questionnaires issued to the study participants. 

Data Collection Period: January - October 2022

Keywords: HIV, youth awareness, barriers to care, Uganda, public health, prevention, treatment

Study Objectives:

Compare levels of awareness on HIV prevention services between school-going and non-school-going youth.

Determine factors associated with the level of awareness

Dataset Contents:

Quantitative Data: Structured questionnaire responses assessing:

Awareness of HIV prevention strategies.

Attitudes towards people living with HIV.

Media access and its role in awareness.

Socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of respondents

Methodology:

Quantitative: Stratified random sampling was used to select school-going and non-school-going youth, with 99 respondents per group

Ethical Considerations:

Ethical approval was obtained from the Mbarara University of Science and Technology Research and Ethics Committee.

Informed consent was secured from all participants, with additional parental consent for minors.

Data Accessibility: The dataset is anonymized to ensure participant confidentiality.

Potential Applications: The dataset is valuable for researchers and policymakers aiming to:

Improve HIV service delivery and utilization among youth.

Design targeted interventions to bridge awareness and accessibility gaps.

Develop education campaigns tailored to school-going and non-school-going youth demographics.

Acknowledgments: This study was conducted under the HEPI-TUITAH Micro-Research Award, supported by Grant No: R25TW011210.