AUTHORS (Published on 09 January 2024):
- Whitney C. Irie (Boston College School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, MA; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA)
- Anais Mahone (School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ)
- Bernadette Johnson (Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL)
- Jeanne Marrazzo (Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL)
- Michael J. Mugavero (Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL)
- Barbara Van Der Pol (Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL)
- Latesha Elopre (Department of Health Behavior, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL)
ABSTRACT:
Despite its effectiveness in HIV prevention, PrEP use among Black women is suboptimal. Notably in the Deep South, Black women have the lowest PrEP uptake rates among all US regions. To increase PrEP engagement, research suggests the implementation of structural and social interventions particular to the needs of Black women. The state of Alabama is of priority to federal HIV prevention initiatives; therefore, this study conducted focus groups among 47 cis-gender Black women in rural and urban Alabama counties, with the highest statewide HIV incidence rates, to understand perceptions of PrEP and decision-making processes. Deductive coding analysis was conducted and themes were finalized based on consensus among the two coders. Four themes were identified. Findings show stigma undergirds Alabaman Black women’s decisions to engage in PrEP care. Moreover, women reported stigma stifled community-level education about PrEP. Despite these experiences, education was regarded as a strategy to decrease stigma and PrEP skepticism, the latter of which emerged as a prominent theme. Medical mistrust and healthcare engagement were the other emergent themes influencing participation in PrEP care. To ensure PrEP efforts meet the needs of Black cisgender women in Alabama counties, interventions must address longstanding stigma, increase educational initiatives, and ensure interventions consider women’s experiences with medical mistrust and health care engagement.
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