Sex, PrEP, and Stigma: Experiences with HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among New York City MSM Participating in the HPTN 067/ADAPT Study

• Published in: AIDS and behavior 2018-04, Vol.22 (4), p.1139-1149
• Main Authors: Franks, Julie, Hirsch-Moverman, Yael, Loquere, Avelino S., Amico, K. Rivet, Grant, Robert M., Dye, Bonnie J., Rivera, Yan, Gamboa, Robert, Mannheimer, Sharon B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; Anti-HIV Agents - administration & dosage; Disease prevention; Dosage; Ethnic Groups - psychology; Ethnic Groups - statistics & numerical data; Ethnicity; Exposure; Focus Groups; Gays & lesbians; Health Psychology; Health risks; Hispanic Americans; HIV; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - psychology; Homosexuality, Male - psychology; Homosexuality, Male - statistics & numerical data; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Infectious Diseases; Latin American cultural groups; Male; Medication Adherence - psychology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Men who have sex with men; Mens health; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; New York City; Original Paper; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis; Prevention; Prophylaxis; Public Health; Qualitative analysis; Qualitative Research; Risk behavior; Risk taking; Safe Sex; Schedules; Sexually transmitted diseases; Social Stigma; STD; Stigma; Women
• ISSN: 1090-7165; 1573-3254
• DOI: 10.1007/s10461-017-1964-6

The HPTN 067/Alternative Dosing to Augment Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Pill Taking (ADAPT) study evaluated daily and non-daily dosing schedules for oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV. A qualitative sub-study including focus groups and in-depth interviews was conducted among men who have sex with men participating in New York City to understand their experience with PrEP and study dosing schedules. The 37 sub-study participants were 68% black, 11% white, and 8% Asian; 27% were of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity. Mean age was 34 years. Themes resulting from qualitative analysis include: PrEP is a significant advance for HIV prevention; non-daily dosing of PrEP is congruent with HIV risk; and pervasive stigma connected to HIV and risk behavior is a barrier to PrEP adherence, especially for non-daily dosing schedules. The findings underscore how PrEP intersects with other HIV prevention practices and highlight the need to understand and address multidimensional stigma related to PrEP use.