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. 2016 Oct;17(9):662-73.
doi: 10.1111/hiv.12369. Epub 2016 Aug 1.

Awareness and use of nonoccupational post-exposure prophylaxis among men who have sex with men in Vancouver, Canada

S Y Lin  1 , N J Lachowsky  1   2 , M Hull  1   2 , A Rich  1 , Z Cui  1 , P Sereda  1 , J Jollimore  3 , K Stephenson  4 , M Thumath  5   6 , Jsg Montaner  1   2 , E A Roth  7   8 , R S Hogg  1   9 , D M Moore  1   2   6
Affiliations

Awareness and use of nonoccupational post-exposure prophylaxis among men who have sex with men in Vancouver, Canada

S Y Lin et al. HIV Med. 2016 Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: Nonoccupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) is a strategy to reduce the risk of HIV infection in those with high-risk exposure. This study characterized nPEP awareness among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada after a pilot nPEP programme established in 2012.

Methods: Momentum Health Study participants were MSM aged ≥16 years recruited via respondent-driven sampling (RDS) who completed a computer-assisted self-interview. Stratifying patients by HIV status, we used multivariable logistic regression with backward selection to identify factors associated with nPEP awareness. All analyses were RDS-adjusted.

Results: A total of 51.9% (112 of 173) of HIV-positive and 48.5% (272 of 500) of HIV-negative participants had heard of nPEP. Only 3% (five of 106) of HIV-negative participants who reported recent high-risk sex used nPEP. Generally, nPEP awareness was higher for participants who engaged in sexual activities with increased HIV transmission potential. Factors associated with greater awareness among HIV-negative participants included recent alcohol use, higher communal sexual altruism, previous sexually transmitted infection diagnosis, and greater perceived condom use self-efficacy. Other factors associated with greater awareness among HIV-negative participants included white race/ethnicity, gay sexual identity, more formal education, lower personal sexual altruism, and Vancouver residence. Greater nPEP awareness among HIV-positive participants was associated with greater perceived agency to ask sexual partners' HIV status and more frequently reporting doing so, a higher number of lifetime receptive sex partners, and greater access to condoms.

Conclusions: Following implementation of an nPEP pilot programme, nPEP awareness among HIV-negative MSM was 51% and use was 3%. These data support the need to expand access to and actively promote nPEP services.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS prevention; clinical health services and promotion; gay and bisexual men; men who have sex with men; nonoccupational post-exposure prophylaxis.

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