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01-04-2022 | Post-Exposure Prophylaxis | Original Paper

Reddit on PrEP: Posts About Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV from Reddit Users, 2014–2019

Authors: Penny S. Loosier, Kaytlin Renfro, Monique Carry, Samantha P. Williams, Matthew Hogben, Sevgi Aral

Published in: AIDS and Behavior | Issue 4/2022

Abstract

Social media forums provide a window into how gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men talk about pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention (PrEP) outside of research contexts. To examine information exchange about this important pillar of HIV prevention, discussions around PrEP were collected from the r/askgaybros subreddit of the social media site Reddit (2014–2019). Post titles and asks were qualitatively coded to identify themes describing the primary purpose of the post. In all, 1163 PrEP posts were identified, and a 23.3-fold increase in post volume was seen from 2014 (n = 20) to 2019 (n = 466). The most common post type was a mention of PrEP in a post primarily discussing: an assessment of risk after a sexual encounter (19.2%); a sexual or romantic relationship (6.0%); or other (29.3%). Access challenges (19.1%), information seeking (17.5%), and the cultural effects of PrEP on the gay community (16.3%) were other common themes. Posts regarding the initiation of PrEP (11.8%) and PrEP side-effects (9.4%) were moderately represented. Posts addressing promotion, shade, stigma, and usage were infrequent (≤ 5.5% of posts, respectively). Over time, discussion of PrEP has increased exponentially on r/askgaybros, which may reflect the normalization of PrEP. Qualitative analysis of these posts can be a rich source of data for scientists, practitioners, and healthcare providers interested in increasing uptake of PrEP and decreasing barriers to its use.

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Title: Reddit on PrEP: Posts About Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV from Reddit Users, 2014–2019
Authors: Penny S. Loosier
Kaytlin Renfro
Monique Carry
Samantha P. Williams
Matthew Hogben
Sevgi Aral
Publication date: 01-04-2022
Publisher: Springer US
Keywords: Post-Exposure Prophylaxis
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Published in: AIDS and Behavior / Issue 4/2022
Print ISSN: 1090-7165
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3254
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03463-x

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