What makes gay and bisexual men in Australia choose not to take PrEP?

nam/aidsmap, 14 April 2022

Perceived irrelevance, lack of awareness, problems with access, side effects, negative social impacts, and concerns about lack of STI protection, effectiveness and adherence are the most common reasons for not using PrEP among gay and bisexual men in Australia.

This is according to a study recently published in the journal Behavioral Medicine which analysed reasons for not using PrEP among gay and bisexual men based on individual characteristics and sexual behaviour.

The study was conducted in 2018 during a transition phase from PrEP being available through clinical trials to being available under the Australian universal healthcare system, Medicare. Although this made PrEP more accessible, the uptake of PrEP among gay and bisexual men remains suboptimal.

• Read more of article here 

Steven P. Philpot, Garrett Prestage, Martin Holt, Lisa Maher, Bridget Haire, Adam Bourne & Mohamed A. Hammoud (2022) Reasons for not Using HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among Gay and Bisexual Men in Australia: Mixed-Methods Analyses from a National, Online, Observational Study, Behavioral Medicine, DOI: 10.1080/08964289.2022.2033159

• Access abstract of journal paper here (for full text access see your librarian)embrele