“What the F—K is Prep?” Young Black Gay and Bisexual Men's Exposure to and Discussions About Prep While Navigating Hook-Up Apps

Purpose: Young Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YBGBM) (13–24) continue to experience a disproportionate burden of HIV in Baltimore and the US. Increasingly evidence suggests that these disparities are perpetuated by exposure to sexual networks with higher untreated HIV prevalence and incidence. In Baltimore, surveillance data suggest many of these sexual networks are built around high utilization of “Hook-up” apps. Our prior work has found that these apps can be important access points for targeted interventions like PrEP, which can used to interrupt transmission in these networks. Yet PrEP awareness, knowledge and utilization remain low in YBGBM, which may impede online outreach designed to link these young men to PrEP. To inform future online outreach we conducted interviews among YBGBM “Hook-up” app users to explore their exposure to and discussions about PrEP while navigating these spaces.