Examining the Association Between Exposure to the #ShesWell Campaign and Black Women’s Conversations with Healthcare Providers About Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

Vanessa Boudewyns (), Gabriel Madson, Stefanie K. E. Anderson, Hannah Getachew-Smith, Ryan S. Paquin, Sarah E. Sheff, Nivedita L. Bhushan, Revae S. Downey and Jennifer D. Uhrig
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Vanessa Boudewyns: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Gabriel Madson: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Stefanie K. E. Anderson: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
Hannah Getachew-Smith: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
Ryan S. Paquin: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Sarah E. Sheff: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Nivedita L. Bhushan: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Revae S. Downey: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
Jennifer D. Uhrig: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Low uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among Black women has been partly attributed to barriers related to patient-provider communication. The goal of this paper was to investigate the association between exposure to the #ShesWell campaign and Black women’s communication about PrEP with a healthcare provider (HCP). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 403 sexually active, Black women after the initial phase of #ShesWell and used multivariable regression models to analyze whether exposure to #ShesWell was associated with talking to an HCP about PrEP or intention to discuss PrEP with an HCP in the future. Approximately 33% of women surveyed reported exposure to #ShesWell. Campaign exposure was significantly associated with talking to an HCP in the past year about PrEP (OR = 4.96, p = 0.001) and intention to discuss PrEP with an HCP in the next six months ( B = 0.29, p = 0.038). Stronger beliefs that doctors should initiate sexual health conversations were positively associated with past PrEP conversations (OR = 2.32, p < 0.001) and future intention ( B = 0.11, p = 0.029). Greater comfort discussing prevention ( B = 0.35, p < 0.001), self-efficacy discussing PrEP ( B = 0.29, p = 0.001), and concern about getting HIV ( B = 0.51, p < 0.001) were also associated with intention to discuss PrEP with an HCP. Findings highlight the potential for communication campaigns to motivate patient-provider communication about PrEP, addressing a reported barrier to PrEP uptake among Black women.

Keywords: HIV prevention; women and PrEP; pre-exposure prophylaxis; black women; campaign evaluation; public health messages; healthcare providers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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