Daily use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Spain: Prevalence and associated factors

Abstract

Objective: We aim to estimate the prevalence of daily HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use 6 months after public funding approval in Spain and identify associated factors in a national sample of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM).

Material and methods: We analysed 4692 HIV-undiagnosed GBMSM men recruited via an online questionnaire distributed nationally via gay contact apps and websites between May and July 2020. We estimated the proportion of participants using daily PrEP and identified associated factors using Poisson regression with robust variance.

Results: Daily PrEP use was reported by 2.8% (95% CI 2.3-3.3) of all participants. Daily PrEP use was independently associated with being recruited into community programmes, being older than 30 years, living in a large city, living with men, having condomless anal intercourse with more than 10 sexual partners, using drugs for sex, especially chemsex drugs, and being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection.

Conclusion: Six months after PrEP was approved in Spain, the prevalence of daily use is low in a national sample of GBMSM men. There is a need to promote access, demand and interest in PrEP, especially among young GBMSM men, those living in small and medium-sized cities, and those who hide their relationships with other men.

Keywords: GBHSH; GBMSM; HIV; Pre-exposure prophylaxis; Profilaxis preexposición; VIH.