Factores relacionados al interés e intención al uso de profilaxis preexposición al VIH en hombres gay y/o bisexuales, Colombia

Introduction: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been shown to reduce the incidence of HIV, but its adoption in Colombia is still beginning. To advance the implementation of PrEP as a public health intervention, it is necessary to know the interest of populations at risk of HIV and the factors that would facilitate its use. Objective: Identify factors related to interest and intention to take PrEP in gay/bisexual men. Methodology: Analytical cross-sectional study in a non-probabilistic sample in main cities of Colombia. Sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, motivations, behavioral skills, and psychosocial factors were explored; logistic models were used to estimate the relationship of these factors with interest and intention to use PrEP. Results and conclusions: 552 gay/bisexual men participated, 301 (54%) recruited online and 251 in person. Only 40% of the sample knew of the existence of PrEP. 57.4% (95% CI: 54.9%-62.4%) reported interest and 52.9% (95% CI: 48.5%-57.3%) intention to use PrEP. Interest and intention to use PrEP were related to positive attitudes and norms toward PrEP, as well as greater skills related to PrEP services. Stigma toward PrEP and depressive symptoms were related to lower interest and intention. Our results suggest the need to promote information about PrEP, especially in populations with more social disadvantages and who experience more stigma, as well as to develop community interventions that support motivations and skills to use PrEP.