Beliefs Associated with Intention to Use PrEP Among Cisgender U.S. Women at Elevated HIV Risk.

Women comprise 19% of those newly diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. There is a wide gap between recommended use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and actual uptake among women who are eligible for PrEP. In order to identify women's beliefs and intentions about starting PrEP, a survey, informed by the reasoned action approach, was administered to 160 cisgender PrEP-eligible women, age 18-55, in Philadelphia and New York City. The mean age was 40.2 years (SD = 11.78), 44% had completed high school, 75% were unemployed, and 85% experienced financial instability in the past 3 months. Multivariate linear regression analyses identified sets of behavioral and normative beliefs associated with intention to start PrEP in the next 3 months. Behavioral beliefs reflected views about PrEP benefits such as preventing HIV, and normative beliefs reflected perceptions of support or lack thereof from others including partners, friends, mother, and children. These findings can be used to inform interventions to foster greater PrEP uptake among women.

Post-exposure Prophylaxis Awareness, Knowledge, Access and Use Among Three Populations in New York City, 2016-17.

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a cost-effective, but underused HIV prevention strategy. PEP awareness, knowledge, access, and usage was assessed among young men of color who have sex with men (YMSMOC; n = 177), transgender women (TW; n = 182), and cisgender women of color (CWOC; n = 170) in New York City. 59% were aware of PEP: 80% among YMSMOC, 63% among TW and 34% among CWOC (p < 0.001). 13% had ever used PEP. PEP awareness was higher among YMSMOC with a recent HIV test and lower among those with ≥ 4 partners. PEP awareness was lower among TW who anticipated stigma and reported barriers to taking PEP, and higher among TW who exchanged sex for resources. Among CWOC, more barriers to taking PEP reduced the odds of PEP awareness. PEP education and outreach needs to be deliberate about population-specific campaigns, with a need to focus on reducing PEP stigma and other barriers which impede PEP access.

Who is Using the HIV Self-Test among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) and Transwomen in New York City?

BACKGROUND: HIV self-testing (HST) is an important complement to existing testing approaches for young Black men who have sex with men (MSM) and transwomen. METHODS: In this formative research, we describe prevalence and perceptions of HST using qualitative in-depth interviews (n = 29) and baseline quantitative data (n = 302) from an HST intervention trial for young Black MSM and transwomen. RESULTS: In the qualitative analysis, participants preferred the privacy and flexibility of the HST but had concerns about its accuracy and being alone while testing. Quantitative results showed that 14% (44/302) had used an HST in their lifetime; of these, 64% (28/44) used it once and 23% (10/44) in the last 3 months. CONCLUSION: To increase consistent testing, HST may provide a new avenue for at-risk individuals that value privacy and control and could benefit from social support during testing.