Pre-exposure prophylaxis awareness and interest among participants in a medications for addiction treatment program in a unified jail and prison setting in Rhode Island

Cerulli

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

et al. 2020

Background Women’s rise in opioid use disorder has increased their presence in the criminal justice system and related risk behaviors for HIV infection. Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective biomedical HIV prevention treatment, uptake among this high-risk population has been particularly low. Considerably little is known about the interplay between justice-involved women with opioid use disorder and HIV prevention. The aim of this study was to explore PrEP knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions for personal and partner use among women participants in the nation’s first ever opioid intervention court program. Methods The authors conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 31 women recruited from an Opioid Intervention Court, a recent fast-track treatment response to combat overdose deaths. We utilized a consensual qualitative research approach to explore attitudes, perceptions, and preferences about PrEP from women at risk for HIV transmission via sexual and drug-related behavior and used thematic analysis methods to code and interpret the data. Results PrEP interest and motivation were impacted by various factors influencing the decision to consider PrEP initiation or comfort with partner use. Three primary themes emerged: HIV risk perceptions, barriers and facilitators to personal PrEP utilization, and perspectives on PrEP use by sexual partners. Conclusions Findings suggest courts may provide a venue to offer women PrEP education and HIV risk assessments. Study findings inform public health, substance use, and criminal justice research and practice with justice-involved participants experiencing opioid use disorder on the development of gender-specific PrEP interventions with the ultimate goal of reducing HIV incidence.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“I think everybody should take it if they’re doing drugs, doing heroin, or having sex for money”: a qualitative study exploring perceptions of pre-exposure prophylaxis among female participants in an opioid intervention court program

Cerulli

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

et al. 2020

“…Consistent with prior research (42,43), low perceived HIV risk was an overarching theme in our ndings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“I think everybody should take it if they’re doing drugs, doing heroin, or having sex for money”: A qualitative study exploring perceptions of pre-exposure prophylaxis among female participants in an opioid intervention court program

Cerulli

et al. 2020

Preprint

Background: Women’s rise in opioid use disorder has increased their presence in the criminal justice system and related risk behaviors for HIV infection. Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective biomedical HIV prevention treatment, uptake among this high-risk population has been particularly low. Considerably little is known about the interplay between justice-involved women with opioid use disorder and HIV prevention. The aim of this study was to explore PrEP knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions for personal and partner use among women participants in the nation’s first ever opiate intervention court program.Methods: The authors conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 31 women recruited from an Opioid Intervention Court, a recent fast-track treatment response to combat overdose deaths. We utilized a consensual qualitative research approach to explore attitudes, perceptions, and preferences about PrEP from women at risk for HIV transmission via sexual and drug-related behavior and used thematic analysis methods to code and interpret the data. Results: PrEP interest and motivation were impacted by various factors influencing the decision to consider PrEP initiation or comfort with partner use. Three primary themes emerged regarding HIV risk perceptions, barriers and facilitators to personal PrEP utilization, and perspectives on PrEP use by sexual partners. Conclusions: Findings suggest courts may provide a venue to offer women PrEP education and HIV risk assessments. Study findings inform public health, substance use, and criminal justice research and practice with justice-involved participants experiencing opioid use disorder on the development of gender-specific PrEP interventions with the ultimate goal of reducing HIV incidence.

“…Given the emerging literature, innovative strategies and interventions designed to implement PrEP must consider the relevant factors in uencing PrEP awareness. Speci cally, study ndings underscore the signi cance of various approaches that link adults with incarceration history and HIV risk to comprehensive programs facilitating PrEP access (33,41,42). For example, in people with CJI and HIV risk, Peterson et al found low PrEP awareness and HIV risk perception; yet demonstrated that a program for addiction treatment medication offered by a correctional facility served as a useful pathway to increase PrEP information and may also bolster access and retention upon release (42).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Speci cally, study ndings underscore the signi cance of various approaches that link adults with incarceration history and HIV risk to comprehensive programs facilitating PrEP access (33,41,42). For example, in people with CJI and HIV risk, Peterson et al found low PrEP awareness and HIV risk perception; yet demonstrated that a program for addiction treatment medication offered by a correctional facility served as a useful pathway to increase PrEP information and may also bolster access and retention upon release (42). It is likely that Black adults with histories of incarceration who report HIV risk behaviors would bene t from receiving tailored PrEP communication, including from their social networks and community providers (43).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…While well over half of the sample reported substance use during sex, only a small proportion had ever used PrEP. Given that low perceptions of HIV risk can negatively in uence awareness and willingness to use PrEP (39,42,50), low PrEP use in the sample may be explained by a broad lack of HIV risk perception and PrEP awareness. Similarly, social and structural level factors such as medical mistrust (51,52), racial bias by medical professionals (52) and health care service inaccessibility (20,49) may have also limited PrEP use in the present study.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Factors Correlated with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Awareness and Use among Black Adults in the United States: Implications for Improving PrEP Uptake

Gabriel

et al. 2021

Preprint

In the United States, low rates of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness and utilization persist among Black adults. To date, few studies have assessed PrEP awareness and use among a nationally representative sample of Black adults. The present study explored factors associated with PrEP awareness and use among Black adults in the United States. Most participants were unaware of PrEP (71%). Those reporting a history of incarceration [aOR 1.73 (1.04, 2.90), p <.05] and lifetime sexually transmitted infection testing [aOR 1.76 (1.19, 2.59), p <.05] had greater odds of awareness. In the sample, only 6% of participants had ever taken PrEP. Those with a history of incarceration [aOR 9.96 (2.82, 35.14), p <.05], concurrent sexual partners [aOR 1.09 (1.00, 1.18), p <.05], and substance use during sex [aOR 4.23 (1.02, 17.48), p <.05] had greater odds of use. Interventions to improve PrEP uptake among Black adults must consider the contextual factors associated with awareness and use.