Kagera

Researchers are investigating better ways to care for pregnant and postpartum adolescent girls and young women AGYW aged 15-24 years with HIV in Tanzania. The study aims to understand how often these young women attend health appointments and stay on treatment up to two years after giving birth, how many babies remain HIV-free for two years, factors influencing repeat pregnancies, and the best ways to support health care engagement. The project focuses on improving prevention of HIV transmission to infants and optimizing HIV treatment outcomes for this vulnerable group. The study involves analyzing health service records from 559 facilities in Tanzania for all AGYW who started prevention of mother-to-child transmission PMTCT services between 2018 and 2020. It includes qualitative interviews to gather experiences, co-creation of an intervention package with participants and healthcare providers, and a cluster-randomized trial to test this intervention. The intervention package may include peer mentor support, male partner involvement, flexible clinic hours, and phone reminders, aiming to improve care engagement and retention. Participants will provide health data through existing records and take part in interviews and workshops. The trial will follow pregnant AGYW receiving PMTCT services between January and June 2026, with outcomes measured up to two years after delivery. Researchers will assess time to treatment dropout, viral load detectability, infant HIV-free survival, repeat pregnancies, and use of prevention services. The study includes ongoing monitoring of intervention quality and ethics oversight, with participation lasting until June 2027.