Linking Women Experiencing Incarceration to Community-Based HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Care: A Qualitative Study.

ABSTRACT: Women experiencing incarceration (WEI) in the United States are disproportionately impacted by HIV, yet HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is underutilized by women in the United States. In order to inform an intervention to promote PrEP initiation during incarceration and facilitate linkage to PrEP care following release from incarceration, we conducted individual, semistructured qualitative interviews with WEI (N = 21) and key stakeholders (N = 14). While WEI had little or no previous knowledge about PrEP, they viewed it as something that would benefit women involved in the criminal justice system. Participants stated that HIV-related stigma and underestimation of HIV risk might serve as barriers to PrEP initiation during incarceration. Participants reported that competing

SUBMITTER: Ramsey SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8189628 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature