Adolescents HIV Risk in Rakai, Uganda

Past Projects

Established in 1994 by the Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP), the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS) is a population-based, open cohort research site in Southwestern, Uganda. Over the last decade, Columbia University has collaborated with RHSP on a number of adolescent studies that have led up to the current SSTAR project, including: 

  • The Rakai Youth Project (RYP) (2009-2019) which investigated risk factors associated with HIV incident infections among young people. That project explored social context, adolescent development, biological and behavior risk factors, and the impact of changing HIV prevention and care policies. RYP demonstrated the importance of school enrollment and school leaving on HIV risk over time among adolescents.

  • Linkages was a five-year NIH funded research initiative (2012-2017) exploring the intersection of fertility desires, intentions, and behaviors among HIV positive and HIV negative men and women in rural Uganda. We also assessed the changing trends in reproductive goals women within the context of changing HIV programs and policies and identify how fertility desires and behaviors change among men and women as they acquire HIV and after their HIV seroconversion.