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Correlates of PrEP Indication in a Multi-Site Cohort of Young HIV-Uninfected Transgender Women

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Abstract

Transgender women are at high risk of HIV infection, with younger transgender women (YTW) particularly vulnerable. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) has shown efficacy in reducing HIV acquisition, but little is known about PrEP indication or initiation among YTW. Baseline data from 180 YTW age 18–29 years enrolled in Project LifeSkills, an on-going HIV prevention intervention for YTW, were analyzed to examine factors associated with PrEP indication. The sample (mean age = 23.4, SD = 3.2) was comprised largely of women of color (69 %) and of low socioeconomic status (71 % unemployed). Overall, 62 % met criteria for PrEP indication, but only 5 % reported ever taking PrEP. Factors associated with increased odds of PrEP indication were: PrEP interest (aOR 3.24; 95 % CI 1.44, 7.33), number of recent anal sex partners (aOR 1.23; 95 % CI 1.04, 1.46), and lower collective self-esteem scores (aOR 0.67; 95 % CI 0.47, 0.94). Despite high levels of PrEP indication, there remain low levels of PrEP awareness and uptake among YTW.

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Acknowledgments

We thank members of the LifeSkills Study Team in Boston and Chicago for their contribution to sample accrual and data collection and Abigail Muldoon for preparation of data for analysis. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01MH094323. The project described was also supported, in part, by the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Grant Number UL1TR000150 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Clinical and Translational Sciences Award (CTSA). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. The CTSA is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). ClinicalTrials.gov registration number NCT01575938.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Adolescent Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, 225 E. Chicago Avenue, Box 161, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Lisa M. Kuhns, Travis Gayles & Robert Garofalo

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Lisa M. Kuhns, Travis Gayles, Michael Shelendich & Robert Garofalo

  3. The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Sari L. Reisner & Matthew J. Mimiaga

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Sari L. Reisner & Matthew J. Mimiaga

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Matthew J. Mimiaga

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  1. Lisa M. Kuhns
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  2. Sari L. Reisner
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  3. Matthew J. Mimiaga
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  4. Travis Gayles
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  5. Michael Shelendich
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  6. Robert Garofalo
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Correspondence to Lisa M. Kuhns.

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Kuhns, L.M., Reisner, S.L., Mimiaga, M.J. et al. Correlates of PrEP Indication in a Multi-Site Cohort of Young HIV-Uninfected Transgender Women. AIDS Behav 20, 1470–1477 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1182-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1182-z

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