Abstract
Introduction/Objectives: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a cocktail of medications taken orally or injected to prevent Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. Given the disproportionate impact of HIV on minority communities, health equity is a topic of concern. In addition, rates of transition and acquisition may also be linked to location, religion, and mental health. As equity reporting can provide culturally informed approaches to medical care and systematic reviews can be used to guide patient management decisions, we aimed to assess equity reporting in systematic reviews or meta-analyses (SRMA) of PrEP utilizing PROGRESS Plus.
Methods: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, and Cochrane Database for SRMAs of PrEP usage. After screening, we used the PROGRESS Plus framework to extract whether domains of equity—Place of residence, Race/ethnicity/culture/language, Occupation, Gender/sex, Religion, Education, Socioeconomic status, Social capital, age and disability—were reported.
Results: After screening the articles returned from the search, our sample included 36 SRMAs that assessed PrEP usage. Our results showed that among SRMAs of PrEP, Place and Gender/Sex were the most commonly reported elements of the PROGRESS Plus framework with 34 of 36 studies (94.44%) including these criteria. The least commonly reported elements were Religion (0/36,0.00%), Disabilities (1/36,2.77%), Social capital (6/36,16.67%), and Education (8/36,22.22%). Among these SRMA’s, 19 (of 36;52.78%) did not conduct any subgroup analyses. Of the studies that did, Gender/Sex and Age were the most commonly assessed.
Conclusions: Our study found nearly all SRMAs reported the samples Gender/Sex, and age; however, many other equity criteria that likely affect the usage of PrEP was lacking from a majority of studies. Additionally, very little subanalysis was conducted to investigate the impact of these domains. The limited reporting of PROGRESS Plus items within these SRMAs suggests a need for better inclusion to reduce barriers for PrEP usage and thus improve HIV prevention strategies.
Methods: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, and Cochrane Database for SRMAs of PrEP usage. After screening, we used the PROGRESS Plus framework to extract whether domains of equity—Place of residence, Race/ethnicity/culture/language, Occupation, Gender/sex, Religion, Education, Socioeconomic status, Social capital, age and disability—were reported.
Results: After screening the articles returned from the search, our sample included 36 SRMAs that assessed PrEP usage. Our results showed that among SRMAs of PrEP, Place and Gender/Sex were the most commonly reported elements of the PROGRESS Plus framework with 34 of 36 studies (94.44%) including these criteria. The least commonly reported elements were Religion (0/36,0.00%), Disabilities (1/36,2.77%), Social capital (6/36,16.67%), and Education (8/36,22.22%). Among these SRMA’s, 19 (of 36;52.78%) did not conduct any subgroup analyses. Of the studies that did, Gender/Sex and Age were the most commonly assessed.
Conclusions: Our study found nearly all SRMAs reported the samples Gender/Sex, and age; however, many other equity criteria that likely affect the usage of PrEP was lacking from a majority of studies. Additionally, very little subanalysis was conducted to investigate the impact of these domains. The limited reporting of PROGRESS Plus items within these SRMAs suggests a need for better inclusion to reduce barriers for PrEP usage and thus improve HIV prevention strategies.
| Original language | American English |
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| Pages | 75 |
| State | Published - 16 Feb 2024 |
| Event | Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Research Week 2024 - Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, United States Duration: 13 Feb 2024 → 17 Feb 2024 https://medicine.okstate.edu/research/research_days.html |
Conference
| Conference | Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Research Week 2024 |
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| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Tulsa |
| Period | 13/02/24 → 17/02/24 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- HIV
- PrEP
- equity