Strategies to Promote HIV Self-Testing and Long-Acting Injectable PrEP Among Ghanaian Youth: Results from the Y-FIT GH National Crowdsourcing Open Call
Clinical Infectious Diseases
Authors: Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong, Abass Tando Abubakar, Yaa Adutwumwaa Obeng, Winfred Kofi Mensa, Daniel Selase Anyidoho, Ernest Ortsin, Stephen Ayisi Addo, Anthony Affum-Adjei Awuah, Ucheoma Nwaozuru, Naa Ashiley Vanderpuye, Paul Sowah, Temitope Ojo, Juliet Iwelunmor, Zhao Ni; YFIT GH Study Team
In this study, the investigators examined youth-generated strategies for increasing uptake of HIV self-testing (HIVST) and long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (LAI-PrEP) among young people in Ghana. The study used a national crowdsourcing open call, implemented through the Innovative Tools to Expand Youth-Friendly HIV Self-Testing and Long-Acting Injectable PrEP Uptake in Ghana (Y-FIT GH) initiative. Ghanaian youth aged 15–24 years were invited to submit creative ideas describing how HIVST and PrEP could be promoted and made more accessible to their peers. Between May and August 2025, submissions were collected through online and community-based channels. Following independent review, 103 eligible submissions from 12 regions of Ghana were included in an inductive multimodal qualitative analysis. Written narratives, posters, and audiovisual submissions accounted for the most common formats.
Analysis identified six interconnected themes describing youth perspectives on HIV prevention. Participants viewed HIVST and PrEP as tools that could promote autonomy, safety, and self-respect, while emphasizing the importance of creative, peer-led, and culturally relevant communication. Youth also proposed multilevel and hybrid delivery approaches designed to improve accessibility, familiarity, and privacy. HIV-related stigma emerged as an important factor influencing engagement with prevention services, alongside gaps in service navigation, social support, and trust. Participants additionally identified artificial intelligence and AI-enabled chatbots as emerging opportunities for providing confidential HIV information and peer support.
Overall, the study demonstrated that crowdsourcing can engage young people in the development of contextually relevant HIV prevention strategies. The findings suggest that youth-centered approaches emphasizing privacy, peer engagement, stigma reduction, accessibility, and innovative digital communication may help address barriers to HIVST and LAI-PrEP uptake among Ghanaian youth. The study also illustrates the potential value of participatory methods for translating young people's perspectives into implementation strategies for HIV prevention.