Sexual Frequency and Planning Among At-Risk Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States: Implications for Event-Based Intermittent Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jonathan E. Volk, University of California; Albert Liu, University of California; Eric Vittinghoff, University of California; Risha Irvin, Department of Public Health; Elizabeth Kroboth, Department of Public Health; Douglas Krakower, Harvard University; Matthew J. Mimiaga, Harvard University; Kenneth H. Mayer, Harvard University; Patrick S Sullivan, Emory University; Susan Buchbinder, University of California
• Language: English
• Date: 2012-09-01
• Publisher: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0b013e31825bd87d
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes
• ISSN: 1525-4135
• Volume: 61
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 112
• End Page: 115
• Grant/Funding Information: Supported by National Institutes of Health grant R01-AI083060 and the Emory Center for AIDS Research (P30 AI0050409).; Dr. J.V. received support from the Traineeship in AIDS Prevention Studies T32 post-doctoral fellowship (MH-19105-23) from the National Institutes of Mental Health of the U.S. Public Health Service and Dr. D.K. received support from the Harvard T32 post-doctoral HIV Clinical Research Fellowship (NIAID AI007433).
• Keywords: Immunology; HIV; men-who-have-sex-with-men; HIV-INFECTION; Infectious Diseases; sexual planning; POSTEXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS; pre-exposure prophylaxis; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Science & Technology; intermittent pre-exposure prophylaxis; sexual frequency; event-based dosing; TENOFOVIR; EMTRICITABINE
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Public Health; Biology, Virology

Abstract

Intermittent dosing of pre-exposure prophylaxis (iPrEP) has potential to decrease costs, improve adherence, and minimize toxicity. Practical event-based dosing of iPrEP requires men who have sex with men (MSM) to be sexually active on fewer than 3 days each week and plan for sexual activity. MSM who may be most suitable for event-based dosing were older, more educated, more frequently used sexual networking websites, and more often reported that their last sexual encounter was not with a committed partner. A substantial proportion of these MSM endorse high-risk sexual activity, and event-based iPrEP may best target this population.