Abstract
Background
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) face structural, social, biological, behavioral, and psychological barriers, making them susceptible to new HIV infections due to high-risk behaviors. Research on sexuality and HIV prevention among AYAs in Ghana is severely lacking despite recent progress in HIV prevention efforts and low generalized HIV levels, highlighting significant empirical knowledge gaps, particularly regarding HIV PrEP knowledge and testing among AYA males aged 15–24 years.
Methods
The men’s dataset of the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (n = 2,453) were utilized for this study. Descriptive characteristics were summarized using frequencies and proportions. Three sets of multivariate logistic regression models examined the relationship between independent and dependent variables.
Results
Findings reveal that among young men aged 15–24 years in Ghana, only 15.3% had knowledge of PrEP, with a low acceptability rate of 32.1%, while merely 8.5% had undergone HIV testing, despite a 49% rate of sexual activity. Significant associations existed between socio-demographic factors such as region (Volta, Eastern, Western North, Bono East), being widowed/separated/divorced, and having a higher education, and HIV PrEP knowledge; while being from Central region, ages 20–24 years, having secondary or higher education and being sexually active were also significantly associated with HIV testing. No statistical significance was found between HIV PrEP acceptability, and socio-demographic factors. The logistic regression results suggests that there were higher odds of HIV PrEP knowledge, HIV PrEP acceptability, and HIV testing among the AYA male population from the Volta, Eastern, Western, Bono, and North East regions, coupled with the widowed/separated/divorced, and the participants with a higher education.
Conclusion
Region, marital status, employment status, religion, and recent sexual activity are universal predictors of HIV PrEP knowledge, HIV PrEP acceptability, and HIV testing among the AYA population in Ghana; whereas having a higher education is a sole strongly significant predictor of both HIV PrEP knowledge and HIV testing respectively. AYA men remain a key population of focus in achieving the global targets of reducing new HIV infections in Ghana, therefore existing HIV prevention efforts should be intensified using these empirically significant multi-dimensional predictors as a useful guide.