"It's behaviors, not identity": Attitudes and beliefs related to HIV risk and pre-exposure prophylaxis among transgender women in the Southeastern United States
HIV prevalence is high among transgender women (TGW) in the Southeastern U.S. Uptake of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is low among TGW nationwide. We aimed to explore beliefs associated with PrEP among TGW in the Southeastern U.S., framed by the Health Belief Model. HIV-negative TGW ≥18 years...
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Published in | PloS one Vol. 17; no. 1; p. e0262205 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
Public Library of Science
27.01.2022
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | HIV prevalence is high among transgender women (TGW) in the Southeastern U.S. Uptake of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is low among TGW nationwide. We aimed to explore beliefs associated with PrEP among TGW in the Southeastern U.S., framed by the Health Belief Model. HIV-negative TGW ≥18 years old in Alabama participated in virtual focus group discussions. Authors coded and amended transcripts to explore emerging themes. Between July-December 2020, 17 TGW participated in 4 sessions. Mean age was 28.1±8.5 years. Several themes were identified: frustration with conflation of transgender identity and HIV risk, inappropriate transgender representation in PrEP advertising, concerns for interactions between PrEP and hormone therapy, perception that PrEP is meant for cisgender men who have sex with men and limited trans-affirming healthcare. Nuanced messaging is necessary to properly educate and engage TGW in HIV prevention strategies including PrEP given the diversity of this population. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: OTVG has received research grant support from Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Abbott Molecular. CAM has received research grant support from NIH/NIAID, Gilead Sciences, Inc., and Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; serves as a consultant for Abbott Molecular, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cepheid, and BioFire Diagnostics; receives honoraria from Elsevier, Abbott Molecular, Cepheid, Becton Dickinson, Roche Diagnostics, and Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All other authors have no relevant disclosures. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. |
ISSN: | 1932-6203 1932-6203 |
DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0262205 |