Financial Incentives for Pediatric HIV Testing (FIT): Caregiver Insights on Incentive Mechanisms, Focus Populations, and Acceptability for Programmatic Scale Up

Overview

Journal AIDS Behav

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2021 Jun 25

PMID 34170433

Citations 3

Authors

Junyi Zhang

Dana L Atkins

Anjuli D Wagner

Irene N Njuguna

Jillian Neary

Vincent O Omondi

Verlinda A Otieno

Winnie O Atieno

Merceline Odhiambo

Dalton C Wamalwa

Grace John-Stewart

Jennifer A Slyker

Bryan J Weiner

Kristin Beima-Sofie

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Children living with HIV experience gaps in HIV testing globally; scaling up evidence-based testing strategies is critical for preventing HIV-related mortality. Financial incentives (FI) were recently demonstrated to increase uptake of pediatric HIV testing. As part of this qualitative follow-up study to the FIT trial (NCT03049917) conducted in Kenya, 54 caregivers participated in individual interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed to identify considerations for scaling up FI for pediatric testing. Caregivers reported that FI function by directly offsetting costs or nudging caregivers to take action sooner. Caregivers found FI to be feasible and acceptable for broader programmatic implementation, and supported use for a variety of populations. Some concerns were raised about unintended consequences of FI, including caregivers bringing ineligible children to collect incentives and fears about the impact on linkage to care and retention if caregivers become dependent on FI.

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