ABSTRACT
HIV remains a serious problem in the U.S. particularly for men who have sex with men. PrEP is an intervention that can dramatically decrease the risk of HIV infection. Because rates of PrEP adoption have been lower than anticipated, researchers have called for new tactics for promoting PrEP. For this reason, we analyzed PrEP messaging on TikTok. In an analysis guided by the Health Belief Model, we found that discussions of PrEP benefits and barriers were most common on TikTok. Severity and susceptibility were least common. We distilled these findings into suggestions for promoting PrEP adoption.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2023.2269080
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Joseph Schwartz
Joseph Schwartz is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northeastern University. His research examines the role of communication in LGBTQ health.
Josh Grimm
Josh Grimm is a Professor in the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. His research examines diversity and health communication.
Cameron Jamison
Cameron Jamison is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University majoring in Communication Studies and Sociology.