![]() Also noteworthy from this particular study is the fact that more than one-third (38%) of the men who were prescribed PrEP medication did not actually begin using PrEP. (2017) reported that 64% of the young African-American MSM in their study said that they were interested in adopting PrEP, but 46% of these men had not attended any PrEP adoption meetings, oftentimes despite repeated attempts on the part of project staff to get them scheduled. A 2017 study from New York City indicates that men of color were half as likely as their Caucasian counterparts to be prescribed PrEP ( Salzman, 2017b). Data from the CDC suggest that African-Americans and Latinos account for 69% of all newly-diagnosed cases of HIV, yet men from these same “at risk” populations comprise a mere 22% of all new prescriptions for PrEP ( Wolitski, 2018). A small-scale study conducted with Latino MSM couples ( Martinez et al., 2016) indicated that awareness of PrEP was only 8%. A Baltimore-based study of African-American MSM ( Fallon, Park, Ogbue, Flynn, & German, 2017) reported an 11% awareness figure for PrEP and a 0% usage rate. In a study of lower socioeconomic African-American MSM, Brooks, Landovitz, Regan, Lee, and Allen (2015) reported awareness of PrEP to be 33% with not a single study participant actually using these medications. (2017) indicated that awareness of PrEP was 39% and actual use was less than 5%. ![]() In a different study of African-American MSM attending black gay pride events, Eaton, Matthews, et al. (2017) reported awareness of PrEP to be 61%, but actual usage rates of only 9%. In their study of African-American and Caucasian MSM, for example, Eaton, Kalichman, et al. In a forthcoming publication based on a study of gay and bisexual men, ( Parsons et al., 2017) reported that more than one-half of the men who met the CDC’s criteria for being considered “PrEP eligible” failed to reach even the contemplation stage of PrEP adoption. ![]() As of mid-2018, fewer than 150,000 Americans have ever used PrEP, representing less than 9% of the persons recommended by the CDC to be regular PrEP users ( Salzman, 2017a Siegler et al., 2018). Such high rates of success have led the National Institutes of Health and the CDC to promote the adoption of PrEP medications as a key strategy in the ongoing effort to combat the spread of HIV, particularly among MSM.ĭespite efforts to promote PrEP, evidence from the scientific community suggests that, among MSM, particularly minority MSM, both awareness and understanding of PrEP medications are low, as is actual adoption of PrEP. ![]() Current estimates suggest that regular, proper adherence to a PrEP medication regimen can reduce the risk of contracting HIV by 86 ~ 93% ( Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2017b Grant et al., 2014 NAM Publications, 2017). According to the most recent statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), African-American MSM and Latino MSM alone comprised two of the top three largest groups for new HIV infections, accounting for 31 and 21%, respectively, of all Americans newly infected with HIV ( Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2016b).Īmidst this backdrop, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications have been developed and they have been shown to be highly effective at reducing the risk of HIV infection. Men who have sex with men (MSM) comprise the largest proportion of Americans diagnosed with HIV and AIDS, accounting for more than one-half of all new HIV diagnoses ( Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2016a).
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