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A Tale of Two Cities: Exploring the Role of Race/Ethnicity and Geographic Setting on PrEP Use Among Adolescent Cisgender MSM

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Abstract

Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) could substantially reduce the risk of HIV acquisition among adolescent cisgender men who have sex with men (cisMSM), various barriers faced by people of color, particularly within the southern region of the U.S., may lead to racial disparities in the utilization of PrEP. Few studies, however, have explored racial/ethnic differences in PrEP use by geographic setting among adolescent cisMSM. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis examining racial disparities in PrEP use among cisMSM ages 15–24 years in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Los Angeles, California recruited between May, 2017 and September, 2019. The odds of PrEP use among AA adolescents were considerably lower than White adolescents in New Orleans (OR (95% CI): 0.24 (0.10, 0.53)), although we did not find evidence of differences in Los Angeles. Our findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to promote PrEP use among adolescent MSM, particularly among AA adolescent cisMSM living in the southern region of U.S.

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Acknowledgements

The following members of the ATN CARES Team made contributions to this manuscript: Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, Jeff Klausner, Isa Fernandez, Sue Ellen Abdalian, and Yvonne Bryson, W. Scott Comulada, Ellen Almirol, Cameron Goldbeck, Wilson Ramos, Panteha Razvan. This study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U19HD089886). This study also received support from the National Institute of Mental Health through the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (P30MH058107), the UCLA Center for AIDS Research (P30AI028697), and the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UL1TR001881). We would like to thank the study participants for their time commitment in participating in the study and helping advance the field of HIV prevention and treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Jessica Londeree Saleska, Sung-Jae Lee & Dallas Swendeman

  2. Department of Public Policy, Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Arleen Leibowitz

  3. Department of Pediatrics: Section of Adolescent Medicine, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Manuel Ocasio

  4. Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 10920 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 350, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Jessica Londeree Saleska

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Adolescent Medicine Trials Network (A. T. N.) Cares Team

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Correspondence to Jessica Londeree Saleska.

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Saleska, J.L., Lee, SJ., Leibowitz, A. et al. A Tale of Two Cities: Exploring the Role of Race/Ethnicity and Geographic Setting on PrEP Use Among Adolescent Cisgender MSM. AIDS Behav 25, 139–147 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-02951-w

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