Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: PrEP campaigns often promote a ‘private’ frame emphasizing personal HIV risk management. We explore how a ‘public’ frame emphasizing community-managed sexual health is relevant among men who have sex with men (MSM) and can advance HIV prevention. We sampled MSM from The United States (N=311 in 2015) and The Netherlands (N=222 in 2020) soon after each country’s official PrEP introduction to study early adoption of PrEP frames. Using regressions and machine learning, we quantified support for different PrEP frames, person-level correlates, and relationships to personal PrEP disclosure—an avenue for community-based prevention. Respondents were generally neutral about PrEP framing (US:44%, Netherlands:48%), yet many held private (US:23%, Netherlands:28%) and public (US:33%, Netherlands:24%) frames. Public and neutral frames were associated with PrEP users and disclosure comfort, non-users held diverse frames. PrEP messaging and uptake could improve by understanding how and when MSM frame their PrEP use as a public or private matter.
Source: AIDS Education and Prevention
Authors: Joel E. Martinez, Kai J. Jonas
Institutions: Harvard University, Maastricht University
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4407371415