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. 2021 May;50(4):1701-1711.
doi: 10.1007/s10508-020-01904-7. Epub 2021 May 12.

Awareness and Knowledge of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents Assigned Male at Birth in the United States

Margaret Matson  1   2 , Mara Nery-Hurwit  1   2 , Shariell Crosby  1   2 , George J Greene  1 , Kathryn Macapagal  3   4
Affiliations

Awareness and Knowledge of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents Assigned Male at Birth in the United States

Margaret Matson et al. Arch Sex Behav. 2021 May.

Abstract

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents assigned male at birth are at increased risk for HIV infection. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a daily pill taken to prevent HIV, which the United States Food and Drug Administration approved for minors under age 18 years weighing at least 77.5 lb in 2018. A lack of awareness and knowledge of PrEP are barriers to uptake among adults and adolescents, but SGM adolescents' awareness and knowledge about PrEP remain underexplored and no studies have assessed SGM adolescents' informational needs. We collected data on 59 SGM adolescents' (ages 14-18 years) awareness, knowledge, and questions about PrEP in an online survey and six online focus groups. Although a majority of SGM adolescents (83.1%) were aware of PrEP before the study, many wanted more information about side effects and how to navigate potential barriers to PrEP initiation. Findings can inform public health efforts to promote PrEP knowledge and uptake among SGM adolescents.

Keywords: HIV; Pre-exposure prophylaxis; Sexual and gender minority adolescents; Sexual orientation; Transgender.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest/Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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