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Analysis of online user discussions on Reddit associated with the transition of use between HIV PrEP therapy

In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (Descovy) as another option for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevention for high-risk adults and adolescents. With the introduction of this new PrEP, millions of current users on emtricitabin...

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Autores principales: Godinez, Hector, Xu, Qing, McMann, Tiana J., Li, Jiawei, Mackey, Timothy Ken
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10338828/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37457283
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1073813
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author Godinez, Hector
Xu, Qing
McMann, Tiana J.
Li, Jiawei
Mackey, Timothy Ken
author_facet Godinez, Hector
Xu, Qing
McMann, Tiana J.
Li, Jiawei
Mackey, Timothy Ken
author_sort Godinez, Hector
collection PubMed
description In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (Descovy) as another option for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevention for high-risk adults and adolescents. With the introduction of this new PrEP, millions of current users on emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada), another PrEP medication currently used to prevent HIV transmission, have options of whether to continue their current treatment regime or transition to new treatment options. The objective of this study was to conduct a descriptive analysis to characterize user-generated social media conversations on Reddit associated with FDA-approved PrEP prevention treatment options. Key themes identified were associated with perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes associated with the transition of use of different PrEP medications. Data were collected retrospectively and prospectively from the Reddit platform for posts with keywords filtered for HIV, PrEP, and FDA-approved PrEP prevention treatment from October 2020 to December 2020. We chose the Reddit platform based on prior studies that have identified PrEP user conversations and insights on access challenges for specific AIDS communities, such as gays and men who have sex with men (MSM). Reddit posts were then manually annotated using an inductive content coding approach for key themes regarding the transition of use and other emergent themes from user-generated content. Formal coding of text data was conducted with refined codes, and sub-codes created. A total of 3,120 posts were analyzed from Reddit resulting in 315 posts that were coded for PrEP and 105 posts (33.33%) specific to user discussions regarding the transition of PrEP prevention. Overall, users expressed interest in drug switching to Descovy, particularly in the context of poorer adherence or concerns about existing side effects associated with Truvada. Other major themes included discussions about the cost of Descovy, apprehension about side effects in comparison to Truvada, insurance coverage changes, and discussions about the donation of Truvada to other users after transitioning. Among these discussions, topics related to sexual minorities, including MSM, reported concerns when considering a switch in their HIV prevention regime. Understanding the changing public perception associated with the introduction of new HIV prevention is important in the context of market access, patient safety, pharmacovigilance, and health equity, particularly among high-risk populations such as MSM. Results support the use of social media from a digital pharmacovigilance perspective to better understand emerging HIV prevention, treatment, and adherence challenges experienced by patients.
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spelling pubmed-103388282023-07-14 Analysis of online user discussions on Reddit associated with the transition of use between HIV PrEP therapy Godinez, Hector Xu, Qing McMann, Tiana J. Li, Jiawei Mackey, Timothy Ken Front Public Health Public Health In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (Descovy) as another option for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevention for high-risk adults and adolescents. With the introduction of this new PrEP, millions of current users on emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada), another PrEP medication currently used to prevent HIV transmission, have options of whether to continue their current treatment regime or transition to new treatment options. The objective of this study was to conduct a descriptive analysis to characterize user-generated social media conversations on Reddit associated with FDA-approved PrEP prevention treatment options. Key themes identified were associated with perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes associated with the transition of use of different PrEP medications. Data were collected retrospectively and prospectively from the Reddit platform for posts with keywords filtered for HIV, PrEP, and FDA-approved PrEP prevention treatment from October 2020 to December 2020. We chose the Reddit platform based on prior studies that have identified PrEP user conversations and insights on access challenges for specific AIDS communities, such as gays and men who have sex with men (MSM). Reddit posts were then manually annotated using an inductive content coding approach for key themes regarding the transition of use and other emergent themes from user-generated content. Formal coding of text data was conducted with refined codes, and sub-codes created. A total of 3,120 posts were analyzed from Reddit resulting in 315 posts that were coded for PrEP and 105 posts (33.33%) specific to user discussions regarding the transition of PrEP prevention. Overall, users expressed interest in drug switching to Descovy, particularly in the context of poorer adherence or concerns about existing side effects associated with Truvada. Other major themes included discussions about the cost of Descovy, apprehension about side effects in comparison to Truvada, insurance coverage changes, and discussions about the donation of Truvada to other users after transitioning. Among these discussions, topics related to sexual minorities, including MSM, reported concerns when considering a switch in their HIV prevention regime. Understanding the changing public perception associated with the introduction of new HIV prevention is important in the context of market access, patient safety, pharmacovigilance, and health equity, particularly among high-risk populations such as MSM. Results support the use of social media from a digital pharmacovigilance perspective to better understand emerging HIV prevention, treatment, and adherence challenges experienced by patients. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-06-28 /pmc/articles/PMC10338828/ /pubmed/37457283 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1073813 Text en Copyright © 2023 Godinez, Xu, McMann, Li and Mackey. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Public Health
Godinez, Hector
Xu, Qing
McMann, Tiana J.
Li, Jiawei
Mackey, Timothy Ken
Analysis of online user discussions on Reddit associated with the transition of use between HIV PrEP therapy
title Analysis of online user discussions on Reddit associated with the transition of use between HIV PrEP therapy
title_full Analysis of online user discussions on Reddit associated with the transition of use between HIV PrEP therapy
title_fullStr Analysis of online user discussions on Reddit associated with the transition of use between HIV PrEP therapy
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of online user discussions on Reddit associated with the transition of use between HIV PrEP therapy
title_short Analysis of online user discussions on Reddit associated with the transition of use between HIV PrEP therapy
title_sort analysis of online user discussions on reddit associated with the transition of use between hiv prep therapy
topic Public Health
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10338828/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37457283
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1073813
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