Abstract
This paper used qualitative methods to explore experiences of men who have sex with men and female sex workers in Nairobi and Mtwapa, Kenya, who used oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention as part of a four-month trial of safety, acceptability and adherence. Fifty-one of 72 volunteers who took part in a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded trial that compared daily and intermittent dosage of PrEP underwent qualitative assessments after completing the trial. Analyses identified three themes: (i) acceptability of PrEP was high, i.e. side effects were experienced early in the study but diminished over time, however characteristics of pills could improve comfort and use; (ii) social impacts such as stigma, rumors, and relationship difficulties due to being perceived as HIV positive were prevalent; (iii) adherence was challenged by complexities of daily life, in particular post-coital dosing adherence suffered from alcohol use around time of sex, mobile populations, and transactional sex work. These themes resonated across dosing regimens and gender, and while most participants favored the intermittent dosing schedule, those in the intermittent group noted particular challenges in adhering to the post-coital dose. Culturally appropriate and consistent counseling addressing these issues may be critical for PrEP effectiveness.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Garcia-Lerma J, Otten R, Qari S, Jackson E, Cong M, Masciotra S, et al. Prevention of rectal SHIV transmission in macaques by daily or intermittent prophylaxis with emtricitabine and tenofovir. PLoS Med. 2008;5(2):28.
García-Lerma J, Cong M, Mitchell J, Youngpairoj A, Zheng Q, Masciotra S, et al. Intermittent prophylaxis with oral truvada protects macaques from rectal SHIV infection. Sci Transl Med. 2010;2(14):14.
Denton P, Estes J, Sun Z, Othieno F, Wei B, Wege A, et al. Antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis prevents vaginal transmission of HIV-1 in humanized BLT mice. PLoS Med. 2008;5(1):e16.
Neff C, Ndolo T, Tandon A, Habu Y, Akkina R. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis by anti-retrovirals raltegravir and maraviroc protects against HIV-1 vaginal transmission in a humanized mouse model. PLoS One. 2010;5(12):e15257.
Grant R, Lama J, Anderson P, McMahan V, Liu A, Vargas L, et al. Preexposure Chemoprophylaxis for HIV Prevention in Men Who Have Sex with Men. N Engl J Med. 2010;363(27):2587–99.
Pivotal study finds that HIV medications are highly effective as prophylaxis against HIV infection in men and women in Africa. University of Washington International Clinical Research Center, Partners in PrEP Study; 2011 [cited 2011 July 30, 2011]; Available from: http://depts.washington.edu/uwicrc/research/studies/files/PrEP_PressRelease-UW_13Jul2011.pdf. Accessed 19 Sept 2012.
CDC trial and another major study find PrEP can reduce risk of HIV infection among heterosexuals. 2011 [cited 2011 July 30, 2011]; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/PrEPHeterosexuals.html. Accessed 19 Sept 2012.
Golub SA, Kowalczyk W, Weinberger CL, Parsons JT. Preexposure prophylaxis and predicted condom use among high-risk men who have sex with men. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2010;54:548–55.
Mimiaga MJ, Case P, Johnson CV, Safren SA, Mayer KH. Preexposure antiretroviral prophylaxis attitudes in high-risk Boston area men who report having sex with men: limited knowledge and experience but potential for increased utilization after education. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2009;50:77–83.
Galea J, Kinsler J, Salazar X, Lee S, Giron M, Sayles J, et al. Acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis as an HIV prevention strategy: barriers and facilitators to pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among at-risk Peruvian populations. Int J STD AIDS. 2011;22:256–62.
Dunkle K, Wingood G, Camp C, DiClemente R. Intention to use pre-exposure prophylaxis among African-American and white women in the United States: results from a national telephone survey. XVII International AIDS Conference; Mexico City, Mexico; 2008.
Schneider J, Dandona R, Pasupneti S, Lakshmi V, Liao C, Yeldandi V, et al. Initial commitment to pre-exposure prophylaxis and circumcision for HIV prevention amongst Indian truck drivers. PLoS One. 2010;5(7):e11922.
Ware NC, Wyatt MA, Haberer JE, Baeten JM, Kintu A, Psaros C, Safren S, et al. What’s love got to do with it? Explaining adherence to oral antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV serodiscordant couples. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2012;59(5):463–8.
Mutua G, Sanders E, Mugo P, Anzala O, Haberer J, Bangsberg D, et al. A randomized trial of intermittent pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-1 in African men who have sex with men: safety and Adherence. PLoS One. 2012;7:e33103.
Smith A, Muhaari A, Agwanda C, Kowuo D, van der Elst EM, Davies A. Female clients and partners of MSM sex workers in Mombasa. Paper presented at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, San Francisco, CA. Mombasa: CROI; 2010.
Ritchie J, Spencer L, editors. Qualitative data analysis for applied policy research. London: Routledge; 1994.
Underhill K, Operario D, Skeer M, Mimiaga M, Mayer K. Packaging PrEP to prevent HIV: an integrated framework to plan for pre-exposure prophylaxis implementation in clinical practice. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2010;55(1):8–13.
Remien RH, Stirratt JJ, Dolezal C, Dognin JS, Wagner GJ, Carballo-Dieguez A, et al. Couple-focused support to improve HIV medication adherence: a randomized controlled trial. AIDS. 2005;19:807–14.
Paxton LA, Hope T, Jaffe HW. Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection: what if it works? Lancet. 2007;370:89–93.
Nozaki I, Dube C, Kakimoto K, Yamada N, Simpungwe JB. Social factors affecting ART adherence in rural settings in Zambia. AIDS Care. 2011;10:1–8.
Mansergh G, Koblin B, Colfax G, McKirnan D, Flores S, Hudson S. Preefficacy use and sharing of antiretroviral medications to prevent sexually-transmitted HIV infection among US men who have sex with men. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2010;55(2):e14–6.
Larson E, Lin SX, Gomez-Duarte C. Antibiotic use in Hispanic households, New York City. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003;9:1096–102.
Petersen EE, Rasmussen SA, Daniel KL, Yazdy MM, Honein MA. Prescription medication borrowing and sharing among women of reproductive age. J Womens Health. 2008;17(7):1073–80.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by funding from International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and Gilead Sciences. This work was made possible in part by the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. We wish to thank clinic staff in Nairobi and Mtwapa for conducting the trial and the study participants for their participation. This report was published with permission from Kenya Medical Research Institute.
Conflict of Interest
Authors have no conflicts of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Van der Elst, E.M., Mbogua, J., Operario, D. et al. High Acceptability of HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis but Challenges in Adherence and Use: Qualitative Insights from a Phase I Trial of Intermittent and Daily PrEP in At-Risk Populations in Kenya. AIDS Behav 17, 2162–2172 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-012-0317-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-012-0317-8