Preliminary Findings From the HIV SEERs Project: A Community-Based Participatory Research Program to Reduce HIV Stigma Among Youth in Kenya

Worldwide, an estimated 4 million youth, ages 15-24 years, are living with HIV. Youth in Kenya experience a high HIV disease burden. HIV-related stigma is a known barrier to HIV prevention. We evaluated the HIV Stigma-reduction through Education, Empowerment, and Research (SEERs) Project, a conceptually driven program that emerged from community-based participatory research and was designed with and for youth ages 13-24 years in Kenya. We analyzed existing evaluation data from 641 SEERs participants who completed pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up surveys to evaluate changes in HIV knowledge and stigma. Findings revealed a significant increase in HIV knowledge and a significant decrease in HIV-related stigma over time. Despite strong preliminary evidence, research is needed to refine the program and better determine its effectiveness using a randomized controlled trial. Programs such as SEERs can be used in Kenya and other low- to middle-income countries to improve HIV-related health outcomes.