Gómez Walter, Gomez Anu Manchikanti, Solis Sheilalyn, Dimonte Cheryl, Organista Kurt C
Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois Chicago, 1040 West Harrison Street (MC309), Chicago, IL, 60607-7134, USA.
School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2025 Apr;12(2):1139-1149. doi: 10.1007/s40615-024-01948-8. Epub 2024 Feb 21.
Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective HIV prevention intervention, inequities in access remain among Latinx sexual and gender minorities (LSGM). There is also a gap in the PrEP literature regarding providers' perspective on access inequities. This qualitative case study sought to explore barriers and facilitators to PrEP engagement in a community-based integrated health center primarily serving Latinx populations in Northern California. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with providers (9/15) involved in PrEP services and engaged in a constructivist grounded theory analysis consisting of memoing, coding, and identifying salient themes. Three participants worked as medical providers, three as outreach staff, and one each in planning, education, and research. The analysis surfaced four themes: geopolitical differences, culture as barrier, clinic as context, and patient strengths and needs. Participants referenced a lack of resources to promote PrEP, as well as the difficulties of working within an institution that still struggles with cultural and organizational mores that deprioritize sexual health. Another barrier is related to sexual health being positioned outside of patients' immediate needs owing to structural barriers, including poverty, documentation status, and education. Participants, however, observed that peer-based models, which emboldened their decision-making processes, were conducive to better access to PrEP, as well as allowing them to build stronger community ties. These data underscore the need for interventions to help reduce sexual stigma, promote peer support, and ameliorate structural barriers to sexual healthcare among LSGM.
尽管暴露前预防(PrEP)是一种高效的艾滋病预防干预措施,但拉丁裔性少数群体(LSGM)在获取该措施方面仍存在不平等现象。关于提供者对获取不平等的看法,PrEP文献中也存在空白。本定性案例研究旨在探索在北加利福尼亚州一家主要服务拉丁裔人群的社区综合健康中心,PrEP参与的障碍和促进因素。我们对参与PrEP服务的提供者(9/15)进行了深入的半结构化访谈,并进行了建构主义扎根理论分析,包括撰写备忘录、编码和确定突出主题。三名参与者是医疗提供者,三名是外展工作人员,一名从事规划、教育和研究工作。分析得出了四个主题:地缘政治差异、文化障碍、诊所环境以及患者的优势和需求。参与者提到缺乏推广PrEP的资源,以及在一个仍在与将性健康置于次要地位的文化和组织习俗作斗争的机构内工作的困难。另一个障碍与性健康因结构性障碍(包括贫困、文件状态和教育程度)而被置于患者直接需求之外有关。然而,参与者观察到,基于同伴的模式有助于更好地获取PrEP,并能加强社区联系,同时增强了他们的决策过程。这些数据强调需要采取干预措施,以帮助减少性污名、促进同伴支持,并改善LSGM在性健康护理方面的结构性障碍。