Engagement along the PrEP care continuum among men who have sex with men in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), including daily oral, on-demand, and long-acting injectable (LAI), is a promising HIV prevention intervention for men who have sex with men (MSM). We conducted a systematic review on engagement with the PrEP continuum among MSM in China. A total of 756 studies were initially identified and 36 studies were included (N = 26,021). In the 20 studies (N = 13,886) examining PrEP awareness, 32.4% (95% CI: 25.1–40.7) of MSM were aware of PrEP. In the 25 studies (N = 18,587) examining willingness, 54.5% (95% CI: 41.9–66.5) MSM indicated they were willing to use PrEP. The pooled prevalence of PrEP uptake from 9 studies (N = 6,575) was 4.9% (95% CI: 1.4–15.8%), while pooled estimates of adequate adherence from five studies (N = 2,344) among MSM on PrEP was 40.7% (95% CI: 20.0–65.2%). Subgroup analyses suggested studies conducted after 2015 (versus before) tended to report higher awareness and uptake. Awareness was highest for daily oral PrEP, followed by on-demand, and LAI PrEP; willingness to use was highest for LAI PrEP. The operationalization of willingness and adherence constructs varied across studies and complicated the interpretation of pooled estimates. This review revealed gaps in the PrEP care continuum among MSM in China, with relatively low awareness and uptake (in contrast to willingness and adherence) as the major potential barriers to widespread implementation and the need for a unified approach to defining and measuring PrEP outcomes.

• Population(s)
  • Men who have sex with men
  • General HIV- population
• Prevention, Engagement and Care Cascade
  • Prevention
• Prevention
  • Biomedical interventions