Introduction
In 2021, there were 38.4 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) globally, of which 20.6 million (54%) were living in Eastern and Southern Africa. Longitudinal studies, inclusive of community randomized trials (CRTs), provide critical evidence to guide a broad range of health care interventions including HIV prevention. In this study, we have used an individual-level cohort study design to evaluate the association between sex and other baseline characteristics and participant retention in the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial in Zambia and South Africa.