Abstract
Background: This study seeks to identify targets to increase HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake in Athens-Clarke County, GA, a non-urban area with high HIV burden and poor PrEP utilization.
Methods: A cross sectional survey of adults attending HIV outreach screenings in Athens, GA between November 2022 and March 2023 describes participant demographics and validated scales measuring PrEP knowledge, attitudes, stigma, descriptive norms, and intentions.
Results: Of 136 total participants, key demographic groups included Black (N=84, 61.8%), Latinx (N=10, 8.1%), LGBTQ+ (N=25, 18.4%), and persons who use injection drugs (N=19, 15%); overall, less than half of the PrEP knowledge items were answered correctly (M = 4.4 items out of 13, SD = 3.6), attitude towards PrEP were positive (M = 3.6 out of 5, SD = 1.1), stigma was low-neutral (M = 2.5 out of 5, SD = 1.1), descriptive norms were neutral-positive (M=3.6 out of 5, SD = 1.2), self-efficacy was somewhat positive (3.2 out of 4, SD = 0.7), and intentions to start PrEP were neutral (M=2.6 out of 4, SD=0.9).
Conclusions: Low PrEP knowledge was characterized as a key target to increase PrEP uptake in Athens, GA.
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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Parchinski, Kaley E.; Hirsh, Molly; Cheng, Andrew; Kalifa, Nia; and Manyam, Manvi
(2025)
"Targets to Increase HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Uptake Among Communities in Northeast Georgia,"
Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association: Vol. 11:
No.
1, Article 1.
DOI: 10.20429/jgpha.2025.11101
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/jgpha/vol11/iss1/1
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