Faith leaders' messaging is essential to enhance HIV prevention among black Americans: results from the 2016 National Survey on HIV in the black community (NSHBC)

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 18; no. 1; p. 1392
• Main Authors: Ransome, Yusuf, Bogart, Laura M, Nunn, Amy S, Mayer, Kenneth H, Sadler, Keron R, Ojikutu, Bisola O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 19-12-2018; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Acceptance; Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; African Americans; African Americans - psychology; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; AIDS; Beliefs, opinions and attitudes; Communities; Confidence intervals; Disease prevention; Female; Health aspects; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice - ethnology; Health risks; HIV; HIV infections; HIV Infections - ethnology; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV prevention; Black American; African-American; Black Church; PrEP; pre-exposure prophylaxis; Religion; Faith Leaders; Homophobia - ethnology; Homophobia - psychology; Homosexuality; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Leadership; Male; Mass Screening - statistics & numerical data; Messages; Poisson density functions; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis - statistics & numerical data; Prevention; Prophylaxis; Religion; Religious leaders; Risk Assessment - ethnology; Sex; Sexually transmitted diseases; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States; United States; United States > US; HIV prevention; Black American; African-American; Black Church; PrEP; pre-exposure prophylaxis; Religion; Faith Leaders
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-6301-0
• EISSN: 1471-2458

To investigate whether religious service attendance and faith leaders' messages about HIV and same-sex relationships are associated with acceptance of HIV prevention strategies.
Multivariable Poisson regression assessed whether attending religious services, faith leaders' messages about HIV and same-sex relationships, and supportiveness of those messages were associated with HIV testing, as well as knowledge of and willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among 868 Black Americans [45% men; M (SD) = 34 (9) years-old] in the 2016 National Survey on HIV in the Black Community, USA.
Participants who reported attending services monthly and/or hearing faith leaders' messages that were supportive of same-sex relationships had a significantly higher likelihood of willingness to use PrEP (adjusted Rate Ratio[ARR] = 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09, 2.48) and aRR = 2.19; 95% CI = 1.35, 3.55, respectively), independent of HIV risk. Homophobia was significantly associated with higher likelihood of being aware of PrEP and testing for HIV testing in the past 12 months.
Faith leaders' messaging can influence Black Americans' perceptions and uptake of HIV prevention strategies. Faith institutions and faith leaders should be involved in designing and disseminating HIV prevention strategies.