Navigating Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Access: Qualitative Insights From Black Women at a Northeastern Historically Black College and University

Abstract

Black women are essential to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States; yet prevention, access, testing, and structural racism affect how HIV disproportionately affects them. Limited public health research focuses on Black women attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the ability to address HIV prevention, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake. PrEP is a once-daily oral pill used to prevent HIV transmission and has suboptimal uptake within the Black community. This generic qualitative descriptive analysis identifies the barriers and facilitators of PrEP uptake among Black women attending an HBCU using the health belief model. Overall, 22 Black college women participated in a 60-minute focus group. Emergent categories were as follows: (a) Barriers—stigma, cost, and side effects; (b) Facilitators—PrEP's effectiveness, exposure to HIV, and unprotected sex. Our findings can inform future efforts to increase PrEP uptake among Black women attending an HBCU.