Stakeholders' Perspectives About Cultural Strategies to Support PrEP for Latino Sexual Minority Men

Abstract

Compared with non-Latino White sexual minority men, Latino sexual minority men (LSMM) have lower engagement with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and likelihood of discussing PrEP with a health care provider. The overall goal of the current study was to collect data from community stakeholders to inform the integration of culturally relevant factors into an empirically supported PrEP prevention program. Between December 2020 and August 2021, 18 interviews were conducted with 18 stakeholders with experience delivering health and social services. Themes identified are: (1) stakeholders' perspectives of new HIV infections among LSMM; (2) stakeholders' perspectives of general cultural variables; and (3) the development of culturally tailored programs. Our findings demonstrate how culturally competent stakeholders can leverage their established rapport and trust to reduce the negative effects of machismo and/or homophobia in the Latinx community to promote HIV prevention.