Journal Article

PrEP Knowledge and Attitudes Among Adults Attending Public Health Clinics in Southern Arizona

Sprowl, Kristi M., Guido, Alyssa A., Drake, Taylor M., Fantry, Lori E., Shende, Tanwe C., Fisher, Julia M., Adelus, Maria L., Perez-Velez, Carlos M., Bedrick, Edward J.

2020

Overview

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is underutilized among Hispanics, women, and low-income individuals. To better understand PrEP barriers in this population, questionnaires were administered to 500 patients attending public health clinics in southern Arizona which provide family planning and sexually transmitted infections care. Sixty-three percent believed that they had no risk of HIV infection. When asked “Before today, did you know that there was a pill that can prevent HIV infection?” 80% of persons answered no. Among women, 88% answered no to this question. As expected, individuals with a higher perceived HIV risk (OR 1.76) or one HIV risk factor (OR 5.85) had a higher probability of knowledge. Among survey participants 87% would take a daily pill, 91% would visit a health-care provider every 3 months, and 92% would have laboratory testing every 3 months. Fifty-four percent would not be afraid or embarrassed if friends or family knew they were taking PrEP. Seventy-two percent would take PrEP despite temporary nausea. Sixty-two percent would pay ≥ $40 every 3 months for PrEP. Lack of knowledge, rather than patient attitudes, is the more important barrier to wider utilization of PrEP among individuals, especially women, attending public health clinics in Southern Arizona. Future efforts need to focus on education and access to PrEP in underserved populations including women and Hispanics.

• Publisher: Springer US,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Adult / Adults / Antiretroviral drugs / Arizona / Attitudes / Clinics / Community and Environmental Psychology / Community Health Services / Disease prevention / Ethics / Families & family life / Family planning / Females / Health behavior / Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Health Promotion and Disease Prevention / Health risks / Health services / HIV / HIV Infections - drug therapy / HIV Infections - prevention & control / Human immunodeficiency virus / Humans / Infections / Knowledge / Laboratory tests / Latin American cultural groups / Low income groups / Medical personnel / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Nausea / Original Paper / Patients / Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis / Public health / Public health clinics / Public health education / Public opinion / Risk / Risk analysis / Risk factors / Risk perception / Sexually transmitted diseases / STD / Surveys and Questionnaires / Underserved populations / Women