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
1 Institute of Sexual and Gender Minority Health, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
2 Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
3 Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
4 Federal University of Piauí Teresina, Brazil
5 Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Centro de Investigação em Saúde Pública, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal, Brazil
6 Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil


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Creative Commons License
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Bentham Open.

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.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; E-mail: sousa.alvaromd@gmail.com


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.

Keywords: Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), Men who have sex with men, Geolocation-based dating applications, National survey, HIV.