Salunke, Rajeev
(2020)
PrEP Usage Demographics Among Participants Who Were Surveyed Using Convenience Sampling at Two LGBTQ Focused Events in Pittsburgh.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Introduction
PrEP is defined as daily medicine taken by at-risk individuals to prevent HIV. Although an increasing number of individuals are using PrEP, more studies are needed to accurately assess the distribution of PrEP use in different populations.
Existing data suggests that PrEP usage remains low in communities that need it the most. Black and Hispanic MSM are significantly less likely to use PrEP compared to White MSM.
Objectives
This study hypothesizes that:
i) African-Americans have lower odds of reporting past/present PrEP use compared to white individuals.
ii) Latino/Hispanic individuals have lower odds of reporting past/present PrEP use compared to white individuals.
iii) Individuals in the 26-35-year age-group have higher odds of reporting past/present PrEP use compared to individuals in the 18-25-year age-group.
iv) MSM individuals have higher odds of reporting past/present PrEP use than non-MSM individuals.
Methods
Anonymous, multiple-choice questionnaires were administered at the Allies for Health+Wellbeing Booth during both events. A total of 267 individuals were surveyed.
IRB approval was not obtained prior to data collection but post hoc IRB permission to publish the data was obtained.
Results
Out of the 263 individuals included in the study, 34(12.9%) individuals were past/present PrEP users. Individuals in the 26-35-year age-group were significantly more likely to report past/present PrEP use compared to 18-25-year-olds. African-Americans were significantly more likely to report past/present PrEP use compared to White individuals. Native-Americans were significantly more likely to report past/present PrEP use compared to White individuals. Being an MSM was significantly associated with past/present PrEP usage (compared to non-MSM).
Conclusion
The public health significance of this study is that it provides a snapshot of past/present PrEP usage in the surveyed population. A PrEP to Need ratio (PnR) can be calculated with the help of this data and can be used to assess PrEP usage over time. This data can then be used as a basis to carry out more research to develop interventions to increase PrEP use in populations who are at a high risk of HIV acquisition with low rates of PrEP use. More demographic data is needed from future studies to accurately assess PrEP use.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
30 July 2020 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
13 April 2020 |
| Approval Date: |
30 July 2020 |
| Submission Date: |
11 May 2020 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
63 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Infectious Diseases and Microbiology |
| Degree: |
MPH - Master of Public Health |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
PrEP use |
| Date Deposited: |
30 Jul 2020 17:38 |
| Last Modified: |
30 Jul 2020 17:38 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/38972 |
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