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An Exploration of Factors Impacting Preexposure Prophylaxis Eligibility and Access Among Syringe Exchange Users
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

An Exploration of Factors Impacting Preexposure Prophylaxis Eligibility and Access Among Syringe Exchange Users

Alexis M. Roth, Brenna L. Aumaier, Marisa A. Felsher, Seth L. Welles, Ana P. Martinez-Donate, Martha Chavis and Barbara Van Der Pol
Sexually transmitted diseases, v 45(4)
01 Apr 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000728
PMID: 29465703
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1097/olq.0000000000000728View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze),  Open

Abstract

Infectious Diseases Life Sciences & Biomedicine Science & Technology
Background In 2015, approximately 50,000 new HIV infections occurred in the United States, 2,400 of which were attributable to injection drug use. Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has the potential to curb HIV acquisition; however, uptake remains low among persons who inject drugs (PWID). The purpose of the study is to describe PrEP eligibility, willingness to use PrEP, and ability to access PrEP among PWID recruited from a pilot program that paired screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections with mobile syringe exchange program (SEP) services. Methods Between 2015 and 2016, 138 PWID 18 years or older were recruited from a mobile SEP in Camden, New Jersey. Participants completed a survey assessing sociodemographics and HIV risk and underwent chlamydia and gonorrhea screening. Centers for Disease Control clinical guidelines were used to calculate PrEP eligibility. Differences by sex were examined using inferential statistics. Results Most women (95.4%) and men (84.5%) were considered PrEP eligible (P < 0.04). More women than men were willing to take PrEP (88.9% vs. 71.0%; P < 0.02). Participants reported substantial barriers to PrEP including feeling embarrassed (45.0%) or anxious (51.6%) about taking PrEP, nondisclosure to partners (51.4%), limited engagement with health care providers where PrEP might be provided (43.8%), and lacking health insurance (32.9%). Conclusions Despite reporting behavior that warrants the use of PrEP to prevent HIV and finding the concept acceptable, PWID face multiple barriers to PrEP access. Without tailored interventions to promote PrEP, uptake will likely remain suboptimal. Packaging PrEP with SEP services could provide a viable option for reaching eligible and interested PWID.

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47 citations in Web of Science
45 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Infectious Diseases
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