Acceptability of Event-Driven and Long-Acting HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Formulations Among Transgender Women Engaged in Street-Based Sex Work in Baltimore, Maryland

Joseph G Rosen; S Wilson Beckham; Jennifer L Glick; Rebecca Hamilton White; Ju Nyeong Park; Katherine H A Footer; Susan G Sherman

doi:10.1089/trgh.2022.0057

Acceptability of Event-Driven and Long-Acting HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Formulations Among Transgender Women Engaged in Street-Based Sex Work in Baltimore, Maryland

Transgend Health. 2024 Apr 3;9(2):185-191. doi: 10.1089/trgh.2022.0057. eCollection 2024 Apr.

Authors

Joseph G Rosen¹, S Wilson Beckham^{1

2}, Jennifer L Glick², Rebecca Hamilton White², Ju Nyeong Park², Katherine H A Footer², Susan G Sherman²

Affiliations

¹ Department of International Health and Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
² Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

PMID: 38585249
PMCID: PMC10998007 (available on 2025-04-03)
DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2022.0057

Abstract

We assessed acceptability of nonoral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) formulations among transgender women (TW) engaged in street-based sex work in Baltimore, Maryland. In a K-means cluster analysis, TW (N=36) were partitioned into groups characterized by high interest in long-acting injectable PrEP only (Injectable Enthusiasts, 36%), high interest in injectables and subdermal implants (Long-Acting Acceptors, 36%), and low interest across PrEP formulations (Non-Acceptors, 28%). TW's interest in novel PrEP agents varied widely across formulations (range: 22-66%) and clustered around numerous relational, occupational, and structural factors, highlighting the importance of availing multiple PrEP formulations for this impacted population.

Keywords: United States; chemoprevention; pre-exposure prophylaxis; sex work; transgender persons; urban health.