RESEARCH ARTICLE
Pre-exposure Prophylaxis and Post-exposure Prophylaxis Awareness among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Brazil: A National Survey
Artur Acelino Francisco Luz Nunes Queiroz1, Alvaro Francisco Lopes de Sousa2, *, Layze Braz de Oliveira3, Odinéa Maria Amorim Batista4, Sónia Dias5, Isabel Amélia Costa Mendes6
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2024Volume: 18
E-location ID: e18746136283427
Publisher ID: e18746136283427
DOI: 10.2174/0118746136283427240221105218
Article History:
Received Date: 13/10/2023Revision Received Date: 11/01/2024
Acceptance Date: 17/01/2024
Electronic publication date: 04/03/2024
Collection year: 2024
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) have been demonstrated to be crucial strategies in preventing HIV transmission. However, there is variability in the adoption of these measures within the population of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Brazil. Considering the Brazilian context of HIV prevention strategies, it is evident that the lack of awareness of these strategies is a primary and significant barrier to their dissemination. Our objective is to examine the factors associated with awareness of PEP and PrEP in a sample of Brazilian MSM.
Methods
We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study, exclusively online, with a sample of 2,250 MSM. To assess the factors linked to higher or lower awareness, we employed adjusted odds ratios (ORs).
Results
The awareness of PEP and PrEP was reported by 1,228 (54.5%) and 1,044 (46.4%) MSM, respectively. Several factors were associated with awareness of both measures, including income, self-identification as heterosexual or bisexual, knowledge of one's HIV status, and more frequent utilization of healthcare services.
Conclusion
The barriers associated with personal, social, and structural determinants influence the awareness of PEP and PrEP among Brazilian MSM.