Table 1 List of DCE Attributes
Attribute label | Lay terminology | Key quotations from qualitative data | Labels of plausible levels | Frequency | Final inclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Frequency of administration | How often one can take PrEP | “I prefer taking it [PrEP] daily because as I have said we do not plan to have sex so if I take it daily even if there is a certain day which chooses to come up for me to have sex I would know that I have taken the PrEP medication and I would know that I have protected myself even more now because I will not take an advantage of it”(IDI, Male,18–24 years, Soweto) | Daily | 20 | YES |
“I: And then you were saying that you would like to take PrEP when you are going to have sex? R: Yes. I: But then for how long now? R: For how long? I may maybe say I would take it [PrEP] 5 days before. If I know that on that weekend I am going to be seen by my partner. (IDI, Male, 13–17 years, Cape Town) | On demand | 9 | |||
Side Effects | Negative reaction to medication | “Sometimes you know when we vomit you get confused, you don’t know whether are you sick or you nauseous.” (IDI, Female,18–24 years, Soweto) | Nausea | 7 | YES |
“I occasionally had headaches” (IDI, Female, 18–24 years, Cape Town) | Headache | 5 | |||
“I think that if there is a problem, it will help to show that there is a problem somewhere, you might get a rash and you might think that you have an allergy” (GD, Females,18–24 years, Soweto) | Rash | 3 | |||
Cost | How much to pay for PrEP | “I agree with those who said we get it [PrEP] for free, some families are struggling financially and I live with my grandmother which means that from my granny’s money I have to get money for PrEP?” (GD, Females,18–24 years, Soweto) | Free | 6 | YES |
“R: R50. I: Okay you would buy it [PrEP] for R50 [confirms]. I: And then how long would it [PrEP] last you? R: A month.” (IDI, Females, 18–24 years, Cape Town) | ZAR10–150 (~ 50 penny – 7GBP) | 22 | |||
“Maybe it [PrEP] could be, maybe 10 pills could be R250.” (IDI, Female, 13–17 years, Soweto) | ZAR200–300 (~9–14 GBP) | 3 | |||
Location of dissemination | Where to get PrEP | “It will be easy for me to get it [PrEP] from the clinic because I don’t have money, I don’t have money to buy it, so that’s why I am saying the clinic. It will be easy for me to get it [PrEP] from the clinic.” (GD, Males,13–17 years, Soweto) | Clinic | 25 | YES |
“I would like to have it [PrEP] if available at the pharmacy and be sold there, like Shoprite [local low-cost store]. At Shoprite pharmacy no one will see you when you go there and no one knows you so you will just buy it. “(GD, Male and Female, 15–23 years, Cape Town) | Pharmacy | 14 | |||
Person responsible for dispensing PrEP | Who to give out PrEP | “Doctors who are treating HIV because they won’t just give you the pills, they will even explain why you must use something like that and how you must use it [PrEP]. (IDI, Male,13–17 years, Soweto) | Doctor | 15 | NO |
“A nurse, a female, but like around our age even if it’s 30, you see but someone who understands. (GD, Males and Females, 17–22 years, Cape Town) | Nurse | 8 | |||
“I would prefer them [HIV counselors] because they are educated to counsel you first and make sure you are okay before you take something you don’t know. Nurses can explain but they don’t explain as well as a counsellor. A counsellor listens to you and you both listen to each other whereas a nurse just tells you what to do and they don’t even want to know about your concerns” (GD, Female, 18–24 years, Soweto) | HIV counselor | 6 | |||
Duration of PrEP use | Length of time to take PrEP | “So knowing that you taking PrEP for the rest of your life you’re safe you don’t have to worry about anything.” (IDI, Female, 18–24 years, Soweto) | Lifetime | 11 | NO |
“I would take it [PrEP] 5 days before … If I know that on that weekend I am going to be seen by my partner.”(IDI, Male,13–17 years, Cape Town) | Five days before sex | 1 | |||
“It should be ten years just like the loop so that we can see how well people take to it [PrEP]. Like this thing that they put in your arm [refers to implant]” (GD, Females,18–24 years, Soweto) | Ten years | 2 | |||
Pill intake | Number of desired pills to take | “I: So how many pills a day do you think a person should take? R: One a day. I: Ok one right why do you think so? R: No people will get bored in taking two or three pills. (IDI, Female, 13–17 years, Cape Town) | One pill | 13 | NO |
“R: Maybe two. I: Two. R: Yes, in the morning and at night.(IDI, Male, 13–17 years, Soweto) | Two pills | 8 | |||
Alternative routes of administration | Method of PrEP administration | “P: Implant. I: Why? P: you do not have to go to the clinic if it is free. You don’t have to go to the clinic every time to get it” (IDI, Female, 18–24 years, Soweto) | Implant | 6 | NO |
“Since I am a forgetful person, I wish PrEP can be injectable just like contraception” (GD, Males and Females, 15–23 years, Cape Town) | Injection | 20 |