(P150) HIV PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PREP) USE AT THE TIME OF GONORRHEA DIAGNOSIS AMONG CENTRAL OHIO GONORRHEA CASES USING 2022-2023 STD SURVEILLANCE NETWORK (SSUN) DATA

Background:
Major racial and gender disparities persist in use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. People recently diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection are a target population for PrEP use. This analysis assessed whether demographic and health behavior factors differed between PrEP users and non-users at the time of gonorrhea diagnosis.

Methods:
We included 585 people diagnosed with gonorrhea in the central Ohio region in 2022 and 2023. We conducted bivariable logistic regression analyses to evaluate odds of PrEP use at the time of gonorrhea diagnosis by age, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, race, number of sex partners, insurance, primary care provider status, and injection drug use. We also conducted a multivariable logistic regression to generate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results:
At the time of gonorrhea diagnosis, Black people had lower odds of PrEP use compared to any other race (OR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.10-0.31). Cisgender females also had lower odds of PrEP use (OR, 0.01; 95% CI, 0.002-0.10). People with three or more sex partners (OR, 6.62; 95% CI, 3.66-11.98), people with a primary care provider (OR, 6.67; 95% CI, 3.58-12.42), and people reporting a sexual minority identity (OR, 118.19; 95% CI, 28.51-490.01) had higher odds of PrEP use. Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 0.75-3.81) and injection drug use (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.07-3.94) were not significantly associated with PrEP use.

Conclusion:
Race, number of sex partners, and primary care provider status were associated with using PrEP at the time of gonorrhea diagnosis in unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Sexuality and gender were also significantly associated with PrEP use, but these estimates were unstable due to low cell counts. Identifying predictors of PrEP use at the time of gonorrhea diagnosis helps identify populations in need of additional health care interventions at the time of gonorrhea diagnosis.