P312 Designing HIV testing and self-testing services for young people in Nigeria: A discrete choice experiment

IntroductionA third of new HIV infections occur among young people and the majority of young people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa. Global scale-up of HIV self-testing (HIVST) could improve testing rates among young people in SSA, who have reported suboptimal HIV testing. We examined the strength of Nigerian youth preferences related to HIV testing.MethodsDiscrete choice experiments (DCEs) were conducted among Nigerian youth (age 14–24 years). Participants completed one of two DCEs: one for preferred qualities of HIV testing (cost, location of the test, type of test, the person who conducts the test, and availability of HIV medicine at the testing site) and another for preferred qualities of HIVST kits (cost, test quality, type of test, extra items and support if tested positive). We use random parameters logit model to quantify the relative strength of preferences and test for preference heterogeneity.ResultsA total of 504 youth participated: mean age 21 (SD 2) years, 38% were men, and 35% had higher than secondary school education. Youth equally preferred HIV testing services in public hospitals and home testing, all other attributes being equal. For HIVST kits, youth preferred the kit to be low cost (up to $USD1.38), accessible from community health centers, and integrated with self-testing for syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Preferences differed according to age, education level, gender, sexual, and HIV testing behaviours.ConclusionsWe found that there could be demand for HIVST for Nigerian youth, who preferred HIVST kits that integrate testing for other STIs and is accessed from community health centers. These data could inform tailoring of HIV testing delivery services for Nigerian youth, to ultimately increase reach and acceptability.