Intersecting Communities and PrEP Uptake among US-based Latinx Sexual Minority Men

Gabriel Robles, Chenglin Hong, Melanie Yu, Tyrel J. Starks

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Latinx community in the USA continues to be disproportionately burdened by the HIV epidemic, especially among Latinx sexual minority men (LSMM). Research indicates that up to two-thirds of new HIV infections occur among men who have sex with men (MSM) within primary partnerships. One promising biomedical approach for HIV prevention includes community scale-up of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among LSMM. We examine the relationship between community connectedness (with the Latinx and gay communities) and PrEP uptake among 307 partnered LSMM who reported casual partner sex (i.e., non-monogamous relationships). Within the sample, approximately thirty percent (29.7%) of participants were on PrEP, and 43.3% reported partner approval for PrEP (i.e., my partner is in favor of PrEP generally), while only 7.2% were opposed to PrEP. Insurance status and income levels were significantly associated with PrEP uptake. There was a significant interaction term (gay community connectedness and Latinx group membership), which was positively associated with PrEP uptake (OR = 2.18; p =.007). Findings suggest that there may be structural barriers preventing this population from seeking and initiating PrEP care. Results point to the utility of integrating culturally relevant content related to intersecting identities and their corresponding communities when conceptualizing community-based and culturally informed interventions to improve the PrEP care cascade among LSMM.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2157-2163
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Volume9
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Health(social science)
  • Anthropology
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Health Policy
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Keywords

  • Community-based intervention
  • Latinx
  • PrEP
  • Pre-exposure prophylaxis
  • Sexual minority men

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