Grant: Catalyst Grant: HIV/AIDS CBR Program - General Stream

Oral HIV prevention medications (also known as PrEP) are highly effective and available at no-cost to clinically eligible patients in British Columbia. Men who have sex with men (MSM) remain a key population at a higher risk of HIV infection. However, studies suggest that certain sub-communities of MSM who would benefit from these medications are currently underserved. For example, MSM who identify as bisexual or heterosexual, those living in rural or remote areas, or those who are Black, Indigenous or other people of colour, may be especially unlikely to use oral HIV prevention medications, leaving them and their sexual partners at higher HIV risk. Through one-to-one interviews with MSM from underserved subcommunities in BC, our community-based project will identify barriers to using PrEP for these groups. We will explore their feelings about different ways of accessing PrEP, and how this could be made easier. We will also explore their opinions about and preferences for different forms of HIV prevention, including oral and long-acting injectable forms of these medications. Our research will help healthcare providers, community organizations and public health bodies to better understand the HIV prevention needs of underserved MSM. It will better enable them to reach underserved MSM with information about ideal HIV prevention options, make it easier for these groups to access PrEP, and to improve HIV prevention among this population, reducing the burden of HIV for these men and their partners.