Design and Methods of the - Understanding pre-exposure prophylaxis modalities for HIV prevention in European communities - (PROTECT) Survey

BackgroundDespite the increasing availability of oral PrEP in Europe, gaps remain in the coverage of HIV prevention strategies at a population level. Long-acting injectable PrEP (LA PrEP) has the potential to help provide greater HIV prevention coverage to increasing proportions of men who have sex with men (MSM) and trans people, communities still disproportionately affected by HIV. MethodsAn online cross-sectional survey was conducted across 20 European countries from October 2023 to April 2024. The survey was translated into 22 local and migrant languages. The main aim of the survey was to understand which MSM and trans* people in Europe are interested and intend to use LA-PrEP if it becomes available. ResultsA total of 15,458 MSM and trans* individuals participated in the survey. Participants were recruited mainly from gay dating apps and through a social media campaign. Overall, the sample was sexually active (96.4%), engaged in condomless anal intercourse in the past 6 months (83.4%), had more than 10 partners in the past 6 months (57.6%) and was PrEP naive (51.4%). ConclusionsMSM and trans people in Europe can be engaged effectively to participate in research about LA PrEP.