A Medical Care Missed Opportunity: Pre-exposure Prophylaxis & Young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM)

HIV disproportionately impacts young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM). Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective strategy that can avert new HIV infections in YBMSM. Barriers exist for YBMSM to access PrEP. We sought to determine factors associated with awareness of and willingness to take PrEP in a sample of YBMSM. Only 8% were currently on PrEP despite many (66%) reporting condomless anal sex, a recent provider visit (54%), disclosing their sexual orientation to their regular medical provider (62%), or a willingness to take PrEP (62%). In bivariate analysis, increased number of lifetime partners, current PrEP use, and disclosure of sexual orientation to a doctor were associated with awareness of PrEP, while condomless anal sex and higher perceived risk was associated with willingness to take PrEP. Sex with females was associated with lower willingness. Providers may be missing key opportunities to educate YBMSM about PrEP and incorporate PrEP into comprehensive sexual health care.