“Make it more than a pill, make it an experience of health:” results from an open pilot intervention to retain young African American men who have sex with men in PrEP care

Abstract

ABSTRACT Uptake and retention in clinical care for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is suboptimal, particularly among young African American men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Deep South. We conducted a two-phase study to develop and implement an intervention to increase PrEP persistence. In Phase I, we conducted focus groups with 27 young African American MSM taking PrEP at a community health center in Jackson, Mississippi to elicit recommendations for the PrEP persistence intervention. We developed an intervention based on recommendations in Phase I, and in Phase II, ten participants were enrolled in an open pilot. Eight participants completed Phase II study activities, including a single intervention session, phone call check-ins, and four assessments (Months 0, 1, 3, and 6). Exit interviews demonstrated a high level of acceptability and satisfaction with the intervention. These formative data demonstrate the initial promise of a novel intervention to improve PrEP persistence among young African American MSM.