TY - JOUR
T1 - Young black MSM’s exposures to and discussions about PrEP while navigating geosocial networking apps
AU - Fields, Errol L.
AU - Thornton, Nicole
AU - Long, Amanda
AU - Morgan, Anthony
AU - Uzzi, Mudia
AU - Arrington-Sanders, Renata
AU - Jennings, Jacky M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the following grants, JHU Center for AIDS Research NIAID P30AI094189, CDC Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative U01 PS 005115, and CDC Category C Demonstration Project PS12-1201.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Young Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YBMSM) carry a disproportionate HIV burden perpetuated by exposure to sexual networks with higher untreated HIV prevalence and incidence. In Baltimore, these sexual networks include high utilization of geosocial networking apps (GSN-apps). Our prior work suggests these apps can be important access points for targeted interventions like PrEP. To inform online PrEP outreach we explored YBMSM GSN-app users’ exposure to and discussions about PrEP while navigating apps. We actively recruited YBMSM (n = 17) age 18–24 from the GSN-app most frequently reported by MSM newly diagnosed with HIV in Baltimore. Participants were recruited through direct messaging within the GSN-app while logged-on in high HIV transmission areas. Participants completed 60–90 minute semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using a 3-stage analytic coding strategy. While some participants had not heard of PrEP, the majority described mentions or conversations about PrEP on GSN-apps. Three themes emerged: (1) Mistrust of PrEP, (2) Association with sexual promiscuity, and (3) Concerns about lack of protection from other STIs. Proper messaging, accurate information, and education are needed to account for the negative perceptions that surround PrEP; otherwise, continued underuse among YBMSM will expand rather than reduce HIV disparities.
AB - Young Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YBMSM) carry a disproportionate HIV burden perpetuated by exposure to sexual networks with higher untreated HIV prevalence and incidence. In Baltimore, these sexual networks include high utilization of geosocial networking apps (GSN-apps). Our prior work suggests these apps can be important access points for targeted interventions like PrEP. To inform online PrEP outreach we explored YBMSM GSN-app users’ exposure to and discussions about PrEP while navigating apps. We actively recruited YBMSM (n = 17) age 18–24 from the GSN-app most frequently reported by MSM newly diagnosed with HIV in Baltimore. Participants were recruited through direct messaging within the GSN-app while logged-on in high HIV transmission areas. Participants completed 60–90 minute semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using a 3-stage analytic coding strategy. While some participants had not heard of PrEP, the majority described mentions or conversations about PrEP on GSN-apps. Three themes emerged: (1) Mistrust of PrEP, (2) Association with sexual promiscuity, and (3) Concerns about lack of protection from other STIs. Proper messaging, accurate information, and education are needed to account for the negative perceptions that surround PrEP; otherwise, continued underuse among YBMSM will expand rather than reduce HIV disparities.
KW - YBMSM
KW - Young Black men who have sex with men
KW - adolescent
KW - pre-exposure prophylaxis
KW - young adult
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U2 - 10.1080/19361653.2019.1700205
DO - 10.1080/19361653.2019.1700205
M3 - Article
C2 - 34109014
AN - SCOPUS:85076923232
SN - 1936-1653
VL - 18
SP - 23
EP - 39
JO - Journal of LGBT Youth
JF - Journal of LGBT Youth
IS - 1
ER -