Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) provides women with an effective tool to prevent HIV. Uptake among African American women remains low while new HIV diagnoses continue to rise.
Methods: In a single-armed study, we enrolled African American women (n= 14) ages 20-29 years. They acknowledged recent substance use and sex during an emergency department visit. We delivered the ‘Increasing PrEP uptake’(iPrEP), an intervention that uses brief messages to raise HIV risk awareness related to substance use and sex, on tablet devices.
Results: Most women completed high school/GED (n= 12/14), reported a monthly income below the federal poverty line (n= 9/14), were employed (n= 9/14), and had a primary partner (n= 13/14). Three women reported sex with a recent casual partner. Most women reported substance use within two hours of condomless sex (n= 9/14) and willingness to use PrEP (n= 9/14).
Conclusion: Our study suggests iPrEP is potentially associated with PrEP willingness among sexually-active African American women who use substances.