Awareness and Willingness to Use Biomedical Prevention Strategies for HIV Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth: Results From a National Survey

Abstract

Purpose: Sexual and gender minority youth (SGM), an umbrella term encompassing gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, experience disproportionately high rates of new HIV infections, and recent advances in biomedical HIV prevention modalities hold promise in reducing new infections. However, the extent to which SGM youth are aware of and willing to use these modalities is unknown.

Methods: Using data from the Survey of Today's Adolescents Relationships and Transitions, we analyze awareness of and willingness to take HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), nonoccupational HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, and rectal microbicides among adolescent sexual minority males aged 13-18 years and transgender youth aged 13-24 years.

Results: Overall, we found a majority of our respondents were not aware of any of these prevention modalities. Across both subsamples, age and outness to a health care provider were associated with increased PrEP awareness, and any anal sex was associated with PrEP willingness.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of provider education on how to discuss SGM issues with patients and educate them about HIV prevention options.

Keywords: Gender minority; Microbicides; PrEP; Provider education; Sexual minority; nPEP.