1. John de Wit1,2, Dean Murphy2,3, Luxi Lal4,5,6, Jennifer Audsley5,7, Christopher K. Fairley8,9, Mark Stoove4,10, Norm Roth11, Richard Moore12, Ban K. Tee13, Nalagafiar Puratmaja6, Robert M. Grant14,15,16 & Edwina Wright4,5,5
Attitudes regarding HIV, PrEP and condom use jointly predict risk compensation among men who have sex with men – findings from the VicPrEP implementation project, Melbourne
1 Utrecht University, Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht, Netherlands; 2 UNSW Sydney, Centre for Social Research in Health, Sydney, Australia; 3 University of Sydney, Department of Gender and Cultural Studies, Sydney, Australia; 4 The Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia;
5 The Alfred Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases, Melbourne, Australia; 6 Monash University, Department of Infectious Diseases, Melbourne, Australia; 7 University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia; 8 Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Melbourne, Australia; 9 Monash University, Central Clinical School, Melbourne, Australia; 10 Monash University, School of Population Health and Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia; 11 Prahran Market Clinic, Melbourne, Australia; 12 Northside Clinic, Melbourne, Australia; 13 The Centre Clinic, Melbourne, Australia; 14 Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, United States; 15 University of California-San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, United States; 16 San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, United States

2. Disclosure of speaker’s interest
Relations that could be relevant for the meeting
Company names
Sponsorship or research funds
Gilead (Australia)

3. Background Potential risk compensation among MSM using PrEP
Exacerbation of high rates of STS in key population
Initial reported evidence from implementation projects
VicPrEP: Reduction of condom use with casual partners
(Lal et al. AIDS 2017;31: )

4. Objective Understanding of PrEP-related risk compensation
Demographic and attitudinal covariates of condom use with casual partners among MSM in VicPrEP study

5. VicPrEP First Australian PrEP demonstration project started in 2014
3 sexual health clinic, 3 GP clinics; Melbourne
115 MSM offered PrEP; PrEPX scale-up end of study
12 months clinical, laboratory and behavioral follow-up
Baseline and 3-monthly self-report questionnaires
Outcome
Change in condom use w/ casual partners
Assessed on 5-point scale (1=never, 5=always)
Generalized Estimating Equations
Distribution: gamma; link function: log

6. Univariable Associations Multivariable Associations
Results
Univariable Associations
Multivariable Associations
Assessment
Baseline
3 months
6 months
9 months
12 months
Reference
B = (95 CI -0.28, -0.08)
B = (95 CI -0.31, -0.12)
B = (95 CI -0.38, -0.17)
B = (95 CI -0.37, -0.13)
B = (95 CI -0.31, -0.09)
B = (95 CI -0.33, -0.13)
B = (95 CI -0.39, -0.16)
B = (95 CI -0.36, -0.10)
Referral
Provider
Patient
B = (95 CI -0.20, 0.15)
Age
18-29 years
30 years or older
B = 0.16 (95 CI -0.03, 0.35)
Education
Non-university
Undergraduate or graduate
B = (95 CI -0.23, 0.12)
Country of birth
Australia
Elsewhere
B = (95 CI -0.31, 0.08)
Frequency of anal sex with casual partners
B = 0.00 (95 CI -0.01, 0.00)

7. Univariable Associations Multivariable Associations
Results
Univariable Associations
Multivariable Associations
Perceived likelihood of becoming HIV positive
B = (95 CI -0.09, 0.07)
Perceived seriousness of HIV infection
B = 0.23 (95 CI 0.12, 0.34)
B = 0.12 (95 CI 0.01, 0.23)
Personal importance of remaining HIV negative
B = 0.34 (95 CI 0.20, 0.47)
B = 0.33 (95 CI 0.19, 0.48)
Perceived efficacy of PrEP in preventing HIV
B = (95 CI -0.19, 0.14)
Perceived acceptability of PrEP to avoid HIV
B = (95 CI -0.20, 0.08)
Perceived motivation to take PrEP
B = (95 CI -0.13, 0.08)
Perceived necessity of PrEP for prevention
B = (95 CI -0.20, -0.01)
B = (95 CI -0.20, -0.02)
Perceived concerns about adverse effects
B = 0.09 (95 CI -0.02, 0.21)
Perceived impact of condoms on sex
B = 0.19 (95 CI 0.09, 0.28)
B = 0.18 (95 CI 0.10, 0.27)

8. Conclusions Condom use for anal sex with casual partners decreased
High adherence contributed to HIV prevention
PrEP additional prevention tool? Prevention of other STI?
Reduced condom use was found to be associated to:
Perceiving HIV less as health threat to be avoided
Perceiving PrEP as more important for prevention
Complex evaluations shaping risk reduction practices
Continued condom use coincided with more perceived adverse impact on sexual experiences
Multiple points of entry for community-based initiatives to raise awareness and address impact of risk compensation
STI prevention by regular testing
Emerging re-evaluation of condoms?

9. Thank you for your attention