Brief Report: Exploring PrEP Motivation as a Modifiable Target for HIV Prevention Uptake for Cisgender Women in Atlanta, Georgia.

BACKGROUND

Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention (PrEP) prescriptions in the United States have increased, yet only 15% of individuals assigned female at birth who could benefit from PrEP had received prescriptions as of 2022, with marked racial disparities.

SETTING

Georgia has the highest HIV incidence of any United States state, with more than half of new cases occurring in Atlanta. Accounting for approximately 1-in-5 cases, cisgender women living in Atlanta may benefit from clinic-based efforts to increase PrEP uptake.

METHODS

We enrolled 102 women from PrEP-providing family planning clinics in the Atlanta metro area. After the clinic visit, women self-completed a questionnaire and a staff-administered questionnaire. Surveys were repeated at 3 and 6 months; using baseline data only, we conducted bivariate analyses to determine factors associated with willingness to use PrEP.

RESULTS

Participants were primarily Black (87.5%) and aged ≥24 (54.5%) years. Women considered their risk of next-year HIV diagnosis (70%) and HIV risk (85.8%) to be low, despite 45% endorsing perception of at least slightly risky sexual behavior. Most women (59.4%) were willing to take PrEP, although few were planning or had started to take PrEP. Lifetime gonorrhea or Trichomonas diagnosis, perceived sexual risk, perceived high/moderate HIV risk, and more positive PrEP attitudes scores were associated with PrEP willingness, as were individual PrEP attitudes, concerns/barriers, and stigma items.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest modifiable constructs that could be used by providers as interventional targets with patients to increase PrEP uptake. We provide suggestions mapped onto the Stages of Change Model and PrEP care and motivation continua.