Church’s Sphere of Health Influence: Assessing the effectiveness of using youth door to door health ‘evangelism’ in enhancing uptake of HIV testing and linkage to care among adolescents and young people.

Globally, over 39% of new HIV infections are currently estimated to occur among youth aged 15 to 25 years. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains the region most heavily affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).Youth aged 15 to 24 years bear the highest burden of new infectionsOne in every four adolescents living with HIV is not on Anti-Retroviral Treatment . Almost half of persons living with HIV in Kenya are located in Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, and Migori counties in western Kenya and Nairobi County. Kisumu County has been rated as among the top 5 counties in Kenya with high HIV prevalence. HIV testing is a vital step for both treatment and prevention. While most young people know where to get tested for HIV, most do not know their HIV status. Once aware of HIV infection, patients can begin antiretroviral therapy (ART), which is designed to reduce viral load and improve health. Current research suggests that people with HIV who have undetectable viral loads are not likely to transmit the virus to others; given that the adolescent stage is a time of peer pressure, testing, new experiences, and vulnerability, identifying cases of HIV through testing and linking newly diagnosed patients to and retaining them in care has been shown to be effective for preventing the progression of the virus and eventual spread to others. Consequently, this proposed study seeks to assess if using youth door-to-door health ‘evangelism’ will improve uptake of HIV testing and linkage to care among adolescents and young people in Kisumu and Siaya Counties. Objectives• To assess the acceptability and feasibility of youth door-to-door health ‘evangelism’ in enhancing the uptake of HIV testing among adolescents and young people.• To measure the effectiveness of using youth door-to-door health ‘evangelism’ in enhancing uptake of HIV testing among adolescents and young people.• To collect information on barriers and facilitators of youth door-to-door health ‘evangelism’ to inform future scale-up.