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Reddit on PrEP: Posts About Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV from Reddit Users, 2014-2019
Penny S Loosier1, Kaytlin Renfro2, Monique Carry2
1Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, MS US12-2, Atlanta, GA, 30329-4027, USA. ploosier@cdc.gov.
AIDS and Behavior
|September 18, 2021
Summary
Discussions about pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention (PrEP) on Reddit increased significantly, indicating growing awareness and normalization. This social media data offers insights into PrEP access, usage, and community impact for HIV prevention efforts.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Social Sciences
- Digital Epidemiology
Background:
- Social media platforms offer unique insights into public discourse on health topics outside traditional research settings.
- Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) utilize online forums to discuss HIV prevention strategies like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze online discussions on Reddit's r/askgaybros subreddit to understand how men who have sex with men discuss pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention.
- To identify key themes, trends, and challenges related to PrEP discussed in a public online forum between 2014 and 2019.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative content analysis of post titles and questions from 1163 PrEP-related posts on the r/askgaybros subreddit (2014-2019).
- Thematic coding was used to categorize the primary purpose and content of PrEP discussions.
Main Results:
- A 23.3-fold increase in PrEP post volume was observed from 2014 to 2019, suggesting increased engagement and normalization.
- Primary discussion themes included risk assessment after encounters (19.2%), relationship contexts (6.0%), access challenges (19.1%), information seeking (17.5%), and cultural impacts (16.3%).
- Initiation and side-effect discussions were moderate (11.8% and 9.4%), while promotion, stigma, and usage were infrequent.
Conclusions:
- Exponential growth in PrEP discussions on r/askgaybros indicates increasing normalization of this HIV prevention method.
- Analysis of social media data provides valuable qualitative insights for researchers, clinicians, and public health officials aiming to improve PrEP uptake and address barriers.
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