"It Is in the Air": Seeking and Scanning for Information About Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Young-Adult Men Who Have Sex with Men in the US.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a biomedical intervention that dramatically lowers one's risk of acquiring HIV. However, PrEP uptake has been slow among young-adult men who have sex with men (YMSM) - one group highly vulnerable to HIV infection in the US. Drawing from health communication scholarship on information seeking and scanning, as well as on concepts from the health belief model, we convened individual interviews and focus groups with N = 50 PrEP-eligible YMSM in the US to understand how and where YMSM acquire information about PrEP. Our qualitative analyses yielded four sets of findings. First, we identified five common sources of PrEP information acquisition (online information, word-of-mouth, strategic messaging, health-care providers, miscellaneous sources). Second, we identified linkages between sought and scanned information sources, with word-of-mouth and strategic messaging functioning as incidental cues to action sparking purposeful PrEP information seeking. Third, although these themes emerged across participant characteristics, some differences emerged: Hispanic participants were more inclined to acquire PrEP information from friends, and participants who had never used PrEP expressed the greatest desire for information about the newer, injectable form of PrEP. Fourth, when it comes to promotional communication about injectable PrEP, our findings suggest strategic messaging should address concerns around side effects and convey how injectable PrEP compares to oral PrEP.