Turpin RE, Mandell CJ, Camp AD, Mhonde RRD, Dyer TV, Mayer KH, Liu H, Coates T, Boekeloo B. COVID-19, Vaccine Hesitancy, and HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among Black Sexual Minority Men.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2023;
94:387-394. [PMID:
37732879 PMCID:
PMC10841093 DOI:
10.1097/qai.0000000000003305]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic has created substantial and profound barriers to several forms of health care engagement. For Black sexual minority men, this may include engagement with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection, with significant implications for HIV disparities. Our study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Black sexual minority men, with a focus on relationships between COVID-19 and PrEP engagement.
SETTING
We sampled 24 Black sexual minority men attending HIV prevention-related events in the greater D.C. Metropolitan area (D.C., Maryland, Virginia).
METHODS
We conducted qualitative phone interviews among our sample. Questions were primarily focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected engagement and considerations of PrEP use. Interviews were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed using the 6 stages of thematic analysis.
RESULTS
We identified 3 major themes from our thematic analysis: Changes in the health care system, changes in sexual and relationship contexts, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. Relationships between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and PrEP hesitancy were especially prevalent, with participants describing that COVID-19 hesitancy can directly deter PrEP use through eroding medical trust further.
CONCLUSIONS
We identified changes in the health care system, sexual and relationship contexts, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy as important issues driven by COVID-19 with significant implications for PrEP use. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the health care and social landscape in profound ways that affect PrEP access, sexual networks, and associated HIV vulnerability. Future research further exploring relationships between specific pandemic stressors and HIV prevention among Black sexual minority men is recommended .
Collapse