Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Raymond M. Panas

Abstract

HIV is an infectious disease that continues to have new cases each year within high-risk populations, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). To help in the fight against new HIV infections within the MSM population, new medications such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are being used. The purpose of this cross-sectional online survey study was to address whether PrEP use had any relationship with (a) sexual decision-making, (b) risk-taking, and (c) condom use in the MSM population 18-64 years of age, after controlling for socioeconomic status, race, and age while using the behavioral disinhibition and risk compensation models. Given that PrEP protects only against HIV and no other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), it is important to consider at-risk behaviors among MSM on PrEP to determine whether they show signs of increasingly risky behaviors in relation to sexual decision-making, risk-taking, and condom use. The data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression and the analysis indicated that for the three dependent variables outcome data, the main independent variable of PrEP use was not associated with the three dependent variables used within this study (i.e., sexual decision-making, risk-taking, and condom use). This study indicated that after the confounders were adjusted, only age, income level, and race had any association with the main outcomes on the dependent variables of sexual decision-making, risk-taking, and condom use by MSMs. This study may contribute to positive social change by helping to determine whether PrEP use within the MSM population is related to certain social factors or variables that might be addressed and changed with public health interventions or strategies to help in the fight against new HIV cases.

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