The Association Between Social and Spatial Closeness With PrEP Conversations Among Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men

Abstract

Background: US Latino men who have sex with men (LMSM) are a group at highest risk for HIV. One driver of HIV among LMSM is inadequate access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) information. The social network theory of homophily suggests that sharing similar sociodemographic factors could influence PrEP conversations within networks. This study aimed to determine how the effects of homophily across sociodemographic, immigration, cultural, and PrEP-related factors are associated with PrEP-related communication.Setting: This study was conducted in Miami-Dade County, FL.Methods: Data collected between August 2018 and October 2019 included 10 sociocentric friendship groups of 13 LMSM (N = 130). Participants were recruited using respondent-driven sampling by a community-based organization in Miami. We used the multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure to identify the effects of homophily and relationship characteristics on PrEP-related conversations using R software.Results: More frequent PrEP-related conversations were associated with dyadic friendships characterized by homophily on knowledge of PrEP effectiveness, heterophily on depressive symptom severity, home addresses proximity, friend closeness, and interaction frequency. Past PrEP-related conversation frequency also increased based on heterophily on the Latino cultural value of familism (ie, emotional support to family). Racial homophily, heterophily on severity of depressive symptoms, home addresses proximity, friendship closeness, and frequency of interactions increased likelihood to encourage a friend to use PrEP.Discussion: Social and spatial closeness and homophily play a role in PrEP-related conversations. Information from social networks contextualized in geographic settings can be elucidated to contribute toward the design of novel opportunities to end HIV.

“Test-To-PrEP”: Assessing Reach and Adoption of a New Approach to Increase HIV Testing and PrEP Knowledge Using HIV Self-Test Kit Distribution Through PrEP Clients' Social Networks

“…The program reached critical populations for HIV testing and PrEP information dissemination; 16.2% reported no previous HIV test, and 38.5% reported never having heard about PrEP for HIV prevention before receiving the Test-to-PrEP kit. This work expands upon past studies that found social networks to be successful modes for information distribution [24][25][26] by demonstrating that social networks facilitate Test-To-PrEP kit distribution and successfully reach and educate individuals who previously lacked PrEP knowledge. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use a social network-based strategy for the distribution of HIVST kits by current PrEP users.…”

“…Prior work has largely focused on identifying peer leaders and the importance of peer influence on PrEP information dissemination. 24,35,36 Our findings indicate the importance of peer groups with whom individuals can share and engage in conversations on sensitive topics, such as PrEP use and HIV testing. Our work suggests that clients recently initiated in PrEP care may be a powerful source of PrEP information and intervention proliferation.…”

Geographic mobility and its impact on sexual health and ongoing HIV transmission among migrant latinx men who have sex with men

“…Many sexual minorities are migrating to the U.S., regardless of documentation status, for opportunities to work, to increase their quality of life, and to experience the freedom to express their sexual orientation and gender identity ( American Psychological Association, 2019 ; Cerezo et al, 2014 ). This change in geographic space often coincides with significant changes in social space as well, such as whether, where, and how individuals access social support, family interactions, sexual health communication or engaging with health promotion services ( Diaz, 1997 ; Shrader et al, 2021 ). An understudied social process that may determine variable HIV risk, testing, and linkage to care is geographic mobility, especially among Latinx migrant MSM.…”