Author
Listed:
- Allysha C. Maragh-Bass
(Global Health and Population Division, FHI 360, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Department of Population Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32827, USA)
- Sandra Kiplagat
(Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA)
- Sarah Lavari
(Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA)
- Francisco Sastre
(Department of Psychology, Carlos Albizu University, Miami, FL 33172, USA)
- Jessy G. Devieux
(Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA)
- Daniel Jimenez
(Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA)
- Rachel D. Clarke
(Department of Medical Education, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA)
- Ines Noel
(Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Science, New York University, New York City, NY 10003, USA)
- Eric W. Schrimshaw
(Department of Population Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32827, USA)
- Jae Sevelius
(Department of Prevention Science, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
Department of Psychiatry, Division of Gender, Health, and Sexuality, Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA)
- Elena Cyrus
(Department of Population Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32827, USA
Department of Prevention Science, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA)
Abstract
Background: PrEP, a biomedical HIV prevention option, continues to be underutilized among transgender women who could benefit from sustained use, especially women of color and those who identify as Latina and/or reside in the southeastern US. Objective: We explored the barriers and facilitators experienced by transgender women who live in Florida regarding accessing, using, and/or staying on PrEP. Methods: In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted in either Spanish or English with adult transgender women living in Florida (N = 22). The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded in ATLAS.ti using thematic analyses. Results: The mean age of the participants was 42.2 years. Among the participants, 73% were Hispanic/Latina, 59% were foreign-born, and approximately one-third were living with HIV (but had past experience with PrEP). Transgender women cited the following barriers to accessing or considering PrEP: (1) costs and benefits of PrEP use; (2) under-representation in clinical trials resulting in unknown or misinformation regarding PrEP side effects; (3) chronic poverty; and (4) trauma and discrimination. Other stressors, such as behavioral healthcare needs, were identified. Conclusions: Our analysis revealed interlocking systems of oppression like transphobia, discrimination, and misgendering, which were common barriers experienced by our participants. These synergistically epidemic (i.e., syndemic) barriers contributed to their feelings of being systematically excluded in social spaces, research, public health planning and policies, laws, and social programs related to PrEP. These structural barriers are impediments to HIV preventive care but also act as a source of stress that contributes to mental health problems, financial vulnerability, substance abuse, and other deleterious health outcomes.
Suggested Citation
Allysha C. Maragh-Bass & Sandra Kiplagat & Sarah Lavari & Francisco Sastre & Jessy G. Devieux & Daniel Jimenez & Rachel D. Clarke & Ines Noel & Eric W. Schrimshaw & Jae Sevelius & Elena Cyrus, 2024.
"Barriers to Accessing and Engaging in HIV Preventive Care and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Experienced by Transgender Women in Florida,"
IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(3), pages 1-18, March.
Handle:
RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:3:p:376-:d:1361550
Download full text from publisher
Most related items
These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
Corrections
All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:3:p:376-:d:1361550. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through
the various RePEc services.