Abstract
BackgroundConsistent use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a biomedical intervention for HIV seronegative persons, has been shown to significantly decrease HIV acquisition. Black women are a viable population segment to consider for PrEP use as their HIV incidence is overwhelmingly higher than all other women groups.MethodsWe developed and piloted a cultural- and age- appropriate PrEP education intervention to determine Black college women’s: 1) perceptions of and receptivity to PrEP use; and 2) preferences for PrEP information delivery.ResultsWe recruited N = 43 Black college women. Most of our sample were sophomore and Juniors of whom identified as heterosexual (83%) and single (67%). Over 50% of young women had never been HIV tested and only 28% had been tested in the last 6 months; however, 100% of the women believed their HIV status was negative. Prior to participating in the study, most Black college women (67%) had not heard about PrEP and were unsure or apprehensive (72%) to initiate PrEP. The Black college women indicated that our educational intervention was extremely helpful (67%) for understanding and learning about PrEP. Post participating in our PrEP education module, regardless of delivery modality, participants reported being likely (62.55–70%) to initiate PrEP in the future.ConclusionsResults indicate that Black college women would strongly consider PrEP when provided with basic knowledge, regardless of delivery modality. Participants also showed greater appreciation for in-person delivery and found it to be significantly more helpful and of greater quality for learning about PrEP; comprehension or perceived usefulness of PrEP-related content was relatively the same between groups. PrEP content delivery -- via in-person or online methods – is contingent on learning style and presentation.Trial registrationThis study has been registered under the ISRCTN Registry as of July 6, 2020. The trial registration number is ISRCTN14792715. This study was retrospectively registered.
Highlights
Consistent use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a biomedical intervention for HIV seronegative persons, has been shown to significantly decrease HIV acquisition
HIV prevention curriculum development Based on preliminary research that describes preferred content and delivery modalities in HIV prevention education among Black college women, and the clinical expertise of the Principal Investigator who is a certified, practicing Family Nurse Practitioner [38, 39] we developed a one-hour PrEP Education Intervention that includes current information regarding PrEP, enhanced by interactive learning activities, and formatted for two delivery platforms – a traditional in-person small groups and an online modular session
Given the dearth of research assessing HIV prevention among Black college women, coupled with Black college women’s high HIV risk, there is a need for the development of HIV prevention interventions that are tailored towards this population
Summary
Consistent use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a biomedical intervention for HIV seronegative persons, has been shown to significantly decrease HIV acquisition. There are ethical considerations concerning the possibility that costs and access to PrEP will widen racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities [14, 16]. This may especially affect Black women, the population with the highest rate of new sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition/HIV infections among women and who remain at risk of being infected while attending college [12,13,14,15, 17]
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