2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

329864
Low PrEP awareness among trans*female youth in the San Francisco Bay Area


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 5:10 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Erin C. Wilson, DrPH, Center for Public Health Research, San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA
Sean Arayasirikul, PhD Candidate, Center for Public Health Research, San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA
Background: Trans*female youth are one of the populations at highest risk for HIV and are highly underserved in the domestic response to HIV. This study was conducted to assess trans*female youths’ awareness and concerns about taking PrEP.

Methods: A brief online and in-person survey of PrEP awareness and concerns was conducted with a sample of 69 trans*female youth ages 16-24 from the San Francisco Bay Area. Univariate analysis and chi-squared tests of demographic and health insurance differences in awareness of PrEP were conducted.

Results: Only 38% of youths had heard of PrEP before being surveyed. However, 74% of youths reported they would consider taking PrEP. Youths with awareness of PrEP were significantly more likely to be older, white, and have health insurance. Youths’ biggest concerns about taking PrEP were medication side effects (65%) and interactions with hormone therapy (63%). Other important concerns were others seeing youths' with HIV medications (42%) and the difficulty with taking a daily medication (25%). Youths also were concerned about affordability, effectiveness alone and in addition to other prevention methods, and many youths did not think they were at highest enough risk to take PrEP.

Conclusion: Trans*female youths' PrEP awareness is higher than that of adult transwomen in San Francisco but much lower than among MSM. Given the disparate need of trans*female youth for effective HIV prevention interventions, research to address concerns like hormone interactions and targeted marketing efforts about the availability of PrEP are urgently needed.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Epidemiology
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify trans*female youth as a key population at disproportionately high risk for HIV. List 5 challenges interventionists may have in providing PrEP for trans*female youth. Determine whether trans*female youth have high or low awareness of PrEP. Explain next steps in the research and intervention agenda to increase PrEP awareness and access for trans*female youth.

Keyword(s): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple federally funded grants focusing on the social epidemiology of HIV among transgender people, including youth, women and men, for over 13 years. Among my scientific interests has been the development of strategies for preventing HIV among. I have a DrPH.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4424.0: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and HIV