PrEP Awareness, Use, and Referral Among Heterosexual Cisgender Women in Georgia
Abstract
Background: PrEP is an umbrella term for medications that, when taken appropriately, are 99% effective in preventing HIV from sexual intercourse. Concerningly, although women account for 19% of new HIV diagnoses nationwide, the CDC estimates that only 10% of women who are appropriate for PrEP are actually prescribed it (CDC, 2022; CDC, 2021). The objective of this study is to determine if certain PrEP measures are related to the gender and location (metro Atlanta vs. otherwise) of the individual.
Methods: Data is drawn from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and includes a survey of all individuals tested for HIV by DPH and its partners throughout the state between 2019 and 2022. Descriptive analyses were performed to examine the awareness, use, and referral of PrEP, and Chi Square tests were conducted to compare the differences in these measures by location and gender type.
Results: Analyses demonstrate significance in all categories (p<0.005). When compared to cisgender men, cishet women score significantly lower on all PrEP measures. However, when compared to cishet men, cishet women are slightly more likely to be aware of PrEP and to be referred for PrEP but slightly less likely to use PrEP. Location-wise, cishet women in metro Atlanta score higher on all PrEP measures when compared to their non-metro counterparts.
Conclusion: These findings contribute to the growing body of research on the important subject of PrEP access among women and provide quantitative support and guidance for needed public health initiatives to increase access among this population.
Keywords: PrEP, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, HIV prevention, cisgender women
References
CDC. (2022, August 18). HIV and women: HIV diagnoses. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/gender/women/diagnoses.html CDC. (2021). Monitoring selected national HIV prevention and care objectives by using HIV surveillance data—United States and 6 dependent areas, 2019. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report, 26(2).
Keywords
PrEP, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, HIV prevention, cisgender women
PrEP Awareness, Use, and Referral Among Heterosexual Cisgender Women in Georgia
Background: PrEP is an umbrella term for medications that, when taken appropriately, are 99% effective in preventing HIV from sexual intercourse. Concerningly, although women account for 19% of new HIV diagnoses nationwide, the CDC estimates that only 10% of women who are appropriate for PrEP are actually prescribed it (CDC, 2022; CDC, 2021). The objective of this study is to determine if certain PrEP measures are related to the gender and location (metro Atlanta vs. otherwise) of the individual.
Methods: Data is drawn from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and includes a survey of all individuals tested for HIV by DPH and its partners throughout the state between 2019 and 2022. Descriptive analyses were performed to examine the awareness, use, and referral of PrEP, and Chi Square tests were conducted to compare the differences in these measures by location and gender type.
Results: Analyses demonstrate significance in all categories (p<0.005). When compared to cisgender men, cishet women score significantly lower on all PrEP measures. However, when compared to cishet men, cishet women are slightly more likely to be aware of PrEP and to be referred for PrEP but slightly less likely to use PrEP. Location-wise, cishet women in metro Atlanta score higher on all PrEP measures when compared to their non-metro counterparts.
Conclusion: These findings contribute to the growing body of research on the important subject of PrEP access among women and provide quantitative support and guidance for needed public health initiatives to increase access among this population.
Keywords: PrEP, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, HIV prevention, cisgender women
References
CDC. (2022, August 18). HIV and women: HIV diagnoses. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/gender/women/diagnoses.html CDC. (2021). Monitoring selected national HIV prevention and care objectives by using HIV surveillance data—United States and 6 dependent areas, 2019. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report, 26(2).
