Willingness to accept Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis for bacterial stis prevention among men who have sex with men in Southern China: a cross-sectional analysis

• Published in: BMC infectious diseases Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 911 - 10
• Main Authors: Liang, Peng, Zhao, Peizhen, Huang, Shujie, Wang, Cheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 11.07.2025; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; China; China - epidemiology; Chlamydia; Condoms; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease prevention; Doxy-PEP; Doxycycline; Doxycycline - administration & dosage; Doxycycline - therapeutic use; Drug resistance; Education; Effectiveness; Ethnicity; Gonorrhea; Health aspects; Health attitudes; HIV; Homosexuality, Male - psychology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Male; Males; Marital status; Men; Men who have sex with men; Middle Aged; MSM (Men who have sex with men); Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis; Prevention; Prophylaxis; Psychological aspects; Public health; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Partners; Sexually transmitted diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - prevention & control; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial - prevention & control; Sexually transmitted infections; Social behavior; Social networks; Sociodemographics; STD; Surveys; Syphilis; Urine; Young Adult; China; United States > US; Doxy-PEP; China; Doxycycline; Men who have sex with men; Prophylaxis; Sexually transmitted infections
• ISSN: 1471-2334; 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-025-11290-x

Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) has the potential to decrease the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among men who have sex with men (MSM). However, there is a limited literature on willingness to use doxy-PEP among Chinese MSM. This study aimed to examine the willingness to use doxy-PEP and its associated factors among MSM in China. In 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional study in four cities in Guangdong provinces in South China. Data were collected on social-demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, and the willingness to use doxy-PEP. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with the willingness to use doxy-PEP. A total of 884 individuals were included in this study. Of these, 53.5% reported a willingness to use doxy-PEP for the prevention of STIs. The main concerns for those unwilling to use doxy-PEP were related to its efficacy (82.5%) and safety (81.7%). Multivariable logistic regression indicated that participants were more likely to express willingness to use doxy-PEP if they had female sexual partners in the past 6 months (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 1.58, 95% CI: 1.11-2.25), had prior or current doxy-PEP use (aOR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.13-5.05), or had peers currently using doxy-PEP (aOR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.09-2.30). The willingness to use doxy-PEP among MSM in South China is relatively low. These findings highlight the need for effective educational and targeted intervention strategies to raise awareness and knowledge toward using doxy-PEP among MSM in China.