PrEP indicators, social capital and social group memberships among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men

Abstract

Efforts to reduce HIV among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men include increasing awareness and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Social capital may facilitate engagement in HIV prevention. Membership of social groups including chosen families (i.e. friends as family relationships) – one potential indicator of social capital – may be protective against HIV risk and infection. In this cross-sectional quantitative study, we examined social capital items and social group membership in association with PrEP outcomes. In 2014, the New Orleans arm of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance recruited 353 HIV-negative men, of whom 46% identified as Black, Latino or Other Race and 54% as Non-Hispanic White, using venue-based sampling to complete a structured survey. Multivariable logistic regression models tested the relations between social group membership and social capital with PrEP indicators. Men who reported community group participation were more likely to be aware of PrEP compared to those who did not. Men in chosen families associated with a family name were least likely to be aware of and willing to take PrEP compared to those not in any other social groups. Social group membership is a potential social capital indicator for assessing HIV prevention among men.

Keywords:

• PrEP
• social capital
• gay
• bisexual
• men

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all study participants and NHBS staff.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Latinx is a gender-neutral term for Latino or Latina which references Latin American cultural or racial identities.

2 NHBS conducts behavioural surveillance in annual, rotating cycles in three different populations at increased risk for HIV. During each cycle, a minimum of 500 eligible persons from each participating project area are interviewed using a standardised, anonymous questionnaire to collect information on HIV-related risk behaviours, HIV testing and the use of HIV prevention services. Participants are additionally offered an HIV test.

Additional information

Funding

The development of this manuscript was supported by grants P30MH0522776 and T32MH019985 from the US National Institute of Mental Health for M. Zarwell. For W.T. Robinson, D. Gruber and N. Barak, this publication was supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number 1U1B TS003252-004 from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For Y. Ransome this work was supported by grant K01-MH111374 from the US National Institute of Mental Health.