Neighborhood And Environmental Factors And The Relationship To The Willingness To Use And Actual Uptake Of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (prep) Uptake, A Rapid Scoping Review

PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), which appeared on the market after FDA approval in 2012, is more than 90% effective against HIV transmission via sexual contact and more than 60% effective against HIV transmission via intravenous drug use. Current interventions focus on individual behavior or clinical guidelines, however, there has been little focus on the environmental factors affecting PrEP willingness and uptake. To investigate the relationship between neighborhood, environmental factors and PrEP willingness and uptake in the United States, a rapid scoping review was conducted with three electronic databases of articles (January 2012 – March 2020). Of the 2,016 citations screened, 11 articles were ultimately chosen for this review. Although PrEP willingness and uptake have been increasing overall, Black and Latinx people and those who live in rural areas, the Midwest, and the South significantly lag in this trend. Moreover, themes captured in the neighborhood and environmental variables were physician access, physician stigma, and resource access. Future policy recommendations will need to acknowledge the neighborhood and environmental factors that lead to disparities in HIV prevention