A Review of Approaches Used to Increase Awareness of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in the United States

AIDS Behav. 2019 Jul;23(7):1749-1770. doi: 10.1007/s10461-018-2305-0.

Abstract

PrEP is an important and useful HIV prevention strategy, yet awareness remains low among at-risk populations in the United States and elsewhere in the world. As previous studies have shown PrEP awareness to be important to PrEP uptake, understanding approaches to increase PrEP awareness is imperative. The current systematic review provides an overview of published articles and on-going research on PrEP awareness. Using PRISMA guidelines, two published articles and seven on-going research studies were identified that use different approaches to increase PrEP awareness. Findings highlight the need for research to target other at-risk populations and geographic areas. Future research should consider the use of technology and network approaches to assess whether they lead to increased awareness, accurate knowledge, and uptake of PrEP, along with examining which messaging works best for specific targeted, at-risk population(s).

Keywords: Awareness; HIV prevention; Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Publication types

  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Anti-HIV Agents / therapeutic use*
  • HIV Infections / prevention & control*
  • Health Education / methods*
  • Health Education / statistics & numerical data
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Humans
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care
  • Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis* / statistics & numerical data
  • Sexual Behavior / statistics & numerical data*
  • United States

Substances

  • Anti-HIV Agents