Factors influencing community demand for assisted partner services for HIV in western Kenya: a multilevel qualitative analysis

Objectives This study explores factors affecting community-level demand for assisted partner services (APS) and HIV testing services (HTS) in western Kenya. Design This is a multilevel qualitative analysis conducted as part of the APS Scale-up Study, a hybrid type 2 implementation-effectiveness study of APS integrated within routine HTS. For this analysis, in-depth phone interviews assessed demand for APS and factors influencing decisions to participate in APS. Setting Participants were recruited from eight healthcare facilities and (for APS stakeholders) from affiliated healthcare institutions in western Kenya (Kisumu and Homabay). Interviews were conducted by phone in 2019 and 2020. Participants 67 participants were interviewed: 14 APS providers, 16 female index clients, 17 male sexual partners and 20 community members. Participants were recruited using criteria-based purposive sampling to represent different types of facilities and to include indexes who named different numbers of partners and stakeholders representing all Kenyan healthcare system levels. Results Collectively, participants perceived that demand and uptake of APS could be impacted by multiple stigmas related to HIV, sexual behaviours and identities; long clinical wait times; certain gender norms and expectations; and fear of relationship dissolution, loss of financial support and intimate partner violence. However, different stakeholder groups generally focused on different factors; women focused more on gender dynamics and family roles; male sexual partners on stigma and structural barriers; HTS providers focused on HIV testing accessibility; and community-level stakeholders focused on low community awareness of APS. Conclusions Stigma reduction, awareness about APS, creation of male entry points at the facility level and provision of social support mechanisms have the potential to increase demand for APS.