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Knowledge of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Denver, Colorado

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Abstract

As part of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Denver, Colorado, we assessed knowledge of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); willingness to use PrEP; and potential changes in risk behaviors among HIV-negative participants reporting sexual activity with a male partner in the preceding 12 months. We examined knowledge of PrEP before (2008) and after (2011) results of the iPrEx trial were available. Of the 425 participants in the 2008 sample, 91 (21 %) were aware of PrEP compared to 131 (28 %) of the 461 participants in the 2011 sample (adjusted prevalence ratio: 1.43, 95 % confidence interval: 1.18, 1.72). Despite the increase in 2011, few MSM in Denver were aware of PrEP. Educating high-risk MSM about the potential utility of PrEP as an adjunct to other effective prevention methods is needed when considering the addition of PrEP to the HIV prevention arsenal.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U62-PS000954). Data collection was based on CDC study protocols as part of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System. The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Drs. Dawn Smith, Andrew Voetsch, Jeffrey Herbst, and James Carey to the PrEP questionnaire and to earlier presentations of this data. The authors are deeply indebted to Drs. Elizabeth DiNenno and Nevin Krishna for continued NHBS support during the development of this manuscript. The authors also thank Toby LeRoux, Charles Chen, Theresa Mickiewicz, and our Denver NHBS interviewers for their tireless efforts in collecting this important data and to the numerous NHBS participants who provided it.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Denver Public Health, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, 605 Bannock Street, Denver, CO, 80204-4507, USA

    Alia A. Al-Tayyib & Mark W. Thrun

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA

    Alia A. Al-Tayyib & Jason S. Haukoos

  3. Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Mark W. Thrun

  4. Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Denver, CO, USA

    Jason S. Haukoos

  5. Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    N. Eugene Walls

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  1. Alia A. Al-Tayyib
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  2. Mark W. Thrun
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  4. N. Eugene Walls
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Correspondence to Alia A. Al-Tayyib.

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Al-Tayyib, A.A., Thrun, M.W., Haukoos, J.S. et al. Knowledge of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Denver, Colorado. AIDS Behav 18 (Suppl 3), 340–347 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0553-6

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