Browsing by Subject "Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis"

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    ItemOpen Access
    Awareness and acceptability of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among students at two historically Black universities (HBCU): a cross-sectional survey.
    (BMC public health, 2021-05-19) Okeke, Nwora Lance; McLaurin, Tony; Gilliam-Phillips, Ruth; Wagner, David H; Barnwell, Valerie J; Johnson, Yolanda M; James, Osaffo; Webb, Padonda B; Parker, Sharon D; Hill, Bendu; McKellar, Mehri S; Mitchell, John T

    Background

    Despite young African American adults (ages 18-24) being among the highest risk groups for HIV infection, little is known about their awareness of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) - a once daily pill shown to be > 90% effective in preventing HIV. To explore awareness and acceptability of PrEP among college students in this demographic, we conducted a survey of attendees at two large historically Black universities (HBCU) in North Carolina.

    Methods

    We administered a 14-item questionnaire to students at two HBCUs in North Carolina between February and April 2018. Questions were formatted in a yes/no or multiple choice format. Questionnaire items specifically addressed PrEP awareness and acceptability. Surveys were administered to students at a campus health fair and while transiting the campus student union via iPad. Response to all questions was optional. We fit a logistic regression model to determine association of key demographic determinants with PrEP acceptability and awareness. Statistical analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4 (SAS, Cary, NC).

    Results

    Overall, 210 students participated in the survey, of which 60 completed all survey items as presented. The survey cohort was 75% female, 89% heterosexual and 39% freshmen. The mean age of respondents was 19.8 years (SD: 1.8). Fifty-two percent of survey respondents reported that they were aware of PrEP prior to the time of survey administration. Only 3% of respondents reported that they were on PrEP. The most common sources of information on PrEP were campus health services (24%) and non-social media advertising (15%). Of respondents who were aware of PrEP, 61% reported that they had heard about in the 6 months prior to survey administration, while only 19% say they were aware of it for more than a year. Regarding acceptability of PrEP, 58% of respondents reported that they would take a once a day pill for HIV if they were at risk. Our logistic regression analysis found no statistically significant associations between key demographic factors and PrEP awareness. However, persons who perceived themselves to be at risk for HIV acquisition were more likely to find once daily oral PrEP (relative risk 2.66 (95% CI 1.31-5.42)) as an acceptable prevention strategy than the rest of the survey cohort.

    Conclusions

    African American HBCU students are becoming aware of PrEP, and generally perceive the intervention as acceptable and worth consideration.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Factors Affecting the Likely Use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Young African American Men Who Have Sex with Men
    (2018) Arscott, Joyell S.

    African-American young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are seven and three times more likely than their White and Hispanic counterparts, respectively, to be infected with HIV. Once-daily oral co-formulated tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine [FTC/TDF], for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, known as PrEP has been demonstrated to be an effective method of reducing rates of new HIV infections within this population. Despite this breakthrough in HIV prevention, African American YMSM use PrEP at a much lower and disproportionate rate in comparison to white MSM. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation was to develop a deeper understanding of the HIV prevention needs of African American YMSM as it relates to PrEP. This study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative approach, which was guided by a naturalistic design to explore and understand African American YMSM’s cognitive and emotional processes as it relates to PrEP, and how these responses influence their likely future use of PrEP as an HIV prevention method. The findings revealed important individual-, social-, cultural-, and structural-level factors that affect African American YMSM’s likely future use of PrEP. These findings revealed opportunities for future research and interventions to address the disparate rates of future PrEP use for African American YMSM.