Willingness to Use Long-Acting Injectable PrEP Among PrEP Naïve Black and Hispanic Sexual Gender Minority Persons.

Abstract

In December 2021, long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (LAI-PrEP) was approved for the prevention of HIV in at-risk adults and adolescents. LAI-PrEP may address adherence issues of daily oral daily PrEP and PrEP stigma. However, studies assessing LAI-PrEP willingness among PrEP naive Black and Hispanic sexual and gender minority (SGM) persons- a group disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic in the United States - is rare. To assess the extent of and characteristics of willingness to use LAI-PrEP in a national sample of Black and Hispanic SGM who are self-reported that they have never used PrEP. We analyzed data from a national sample of Black and Hispanic SGM collected between March and August 2020. We used log-binomial regression models to assess characteristics associated with willingness to use LAI-PrEP. Of the overall sample (N = 380), the mean age was 24 (SD = 2.8) and the majority of the sample (54%, n = 205) reported willingness to use LAI-PrEP. In multivariable log-binomial regression models, PrEP stigma was independently associated with less [prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.6, 0.9], while number of sexual partners in the past 12 months was associated with a more willingness to use LAI-PrEP (PR = 1.1, 95% CI = 1.0, 1.2). Our findings highlight the persistence of PrEP stigma as a potential barrier to willingness to use LAI-PrEP in this sample of Black and Hispanic SGM who have never used PrEP. Additional work needs to be done to reduce PrEP stigma more broadly.