Search

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a proven biomedical strategy to prevent HIV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite oral PrEP is safe and effective in MSM, the use of PrEP has been discouraging, especially in high-risk MSM. And there are no relevant studies showing the use of PrEP in high-risk MSM. The purpose of this study was to get the rate of PrEP use and the factors influencing PrEP use among high-risk MSM. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an electronic questionnaire on the "i guardian Platform", and "snowballing" method was used to recruit MSM in six cities in China, including Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Changsha, Jinan and Nanjing in China, from January to April 2021. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the factors associated with the use of PrEP among high-risk MSM who had heard about PrEP. Results: Among the 1865 high-risk MSM who had heard of PrEP, the rates of those who were willing to use PrEP, had knowledge awareness of PrEP, and had used PrEP were 96.7%, 24.7%, and 22.4%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of PrEP use in high-risk MSM showed that more PrEP was used by those who were 26 years or older (OR = 1.86, 95%CI 1.17 ~ 2.99), had master degree or above (OR = 2.37, 95% CI 1.21 ~ 4.72), had unstable work (OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.16 ~ 2.96), had tested five or more HIV times in the past year (OR = 3.09, 95% CI 1.65 ~ 6.04), had consulted PrEP (OR = 22.05, 95% CI 14.87 ~ 33.91) and had PrEP knowledge awareness (OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.41 ~ 2.55) (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The rate of PrEP use in high-risk MSM was relatively low. PrEP was used more by high-risk MSM with unstable jobs, higher education, frequent HIV testing, and PrEP counseling. Public education on PrEP for MSM should continue to be enhanced to help them use PrEP in a timely and accurate manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional barriers to accessing sexual health services among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in China. Yet, little is known about the frequency of HIV testing and how GBMSM get tested during the pandemic. We surveyed an online sample of GBMSM recruited on a gay networking app in China. Among 956 sexually active, 70.1% had received an HIV test in the past 6 months. Among these, 61.0% reported having undergone HIV self-testing (HIVST). Young GBMSM aged 18–24 years old were more likely to receive a recent HIV test, and the number of sexual partners was associated with recent HIV testing [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03–1.20]. Among those who had a recent HIV test, young GBMSM and those who had anal sex with both main partner and casual partners were more likely to utilize HIVST (AOR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.16–2.84), as well as GBMSM who did not use a condom the last time engaged in anal sex (AOR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.06–2.34). Among GBMSM never tested for HIV, a majority perceived low risk of HIV, while some suggested that they did not know where to get tested or they were scared of finding out they had HIV. HIVST has the potential to fill the gap in HIV testing among Chinese GBMSM, and future HIV testing programs should emphasize HIV education, accurate information dissertation, and timely point-to-care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at investigating the awareness of and preferences for oral and long-acting injectable HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and their associated factors among men who have sex with men (MSM) at high risk of HIV infection in southern China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 603 MSM who were recruited through a cohort study called the T2T Study at three sexual health clinics in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Wuxi, China, from 2017 to 2018. We collected information on HIV-negative participants' awareness of and willingness to use PrEP and its potential correlations. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used for data analyses. A total of 550 HIV-negative MSM were enrolled in the study. Less than half of at-risk MSM (43.1%) had heard of PrEP before, and the rate of overall willingness to use PrEP was 65.8%, while MSM were more willing to use daily oral PrEP than long-acting injectable- (LAI-) PrEP (62.2% vs. 38.5%). MSM who had university degrees or above (aOR = 1.55 , 95% CI: 1.01-2.37), used condoms during last anal sex (1.52, 1.01-2.29), and tested 3 times or more for HIV (2.45, 1.10-5.47) were more likely to be aware of PrEP. MSM who had use of gay dating apps (1.51, 1.02-2.23), ever participated in HIV- or sexually transmitted disease (STD-) related studies (1.91, 1.24-2.94), and had heard of PrEP (3.06, 2.06-4.54) were more willing to use any regimen of PrEP. MSM at high risk of HIV infection had low awareness of PrEP and moderate willingness to use PrEP. Further studies of the implementation and promotion of PrEP targeting at-risk MSM should be performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]