{ "abstract": "Perceptions and beliefs about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV are shaped by various factors and play a key role in its uptake. This study analyzed the relationship between these perceptions and PrEP initiation among adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) and adolescent transgender women (ATGW) in Brazil. This cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from the PrEP15-19 study, which evaluated the effectiveness of daily oral PrEP among AMSM and ATGW aged 15-19 years in three Brazilian cities from February 2019 to February 2023. Latent class analysis (LCA) was employed to identify patterns in PrEP-related perceptions and beliefs based on eight binary (agree/disagree) indicators. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (adjORs) for the association between these patterns of perceptions and beliefs and PrEP initiation. A total of 1,477 adolescents were included in the analysis, the majority of whom were AMSM (91%) and aged 18-19 years (74.5%). Most participants identified as Black or Mixed-race (72%), and 81.4% initiated PrEP within 30 days of their initial study visit. LCA revealed two distinct groups based on perceptions and beliefs about PrEP: positive (n = 1,348; 93.2%) and negative (n = 99; 6.8%). Adolescents with positive perceptions and beliefs were significantly more likely to initiate PrEP (adjOR = 1.73; 95%CI: 1.05-2.84). Most participants held positive perceptions and beliefs about PrEP, which were strongly associated with timely initiation. These findings highlight the importance of addressing individual perceptions and beliefs and providing accurate, accessible information about PrEP. Educational interventions are essential to further improve PrEP awareness and uptake among vulnerable adolescent populations.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil.", "Departamento de Ciências Exatas e da Terra, Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil.", "Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil.", "Departamento de Estatística, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil.", "Departamento de Estatística, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brasil.", "Universidade Católica de Santos, Santos, Brasil.", "Faculdade Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brasil.", "Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil.", "Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.", "Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Salvador Brasil." ], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 11, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Suelen Seixas", "orcid": "0000-0001-6267-245X" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Nila Galvão", "orcid": "0000-0002-3106-6366" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Beo Oliveira Leite", "orcid": "0000-0002-4137-9809" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Fabiane Soares", "orcid": "0000-0003-4067-7860" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Leila Denise Alves Ferreira Amorim", "orcid": "0000-0002-1112-2332" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Jony A. Pinto", "orcid": "0000-0001-8481-0358" }, { "affs": [ 5, 6 ], "name": "Eliana Miura Zucchi", "orcid": "0000-0001-6234-1490" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Dirceu B. Greco", "orcid": "0000-0002-4419-5634" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Alexandre Grangeiro", "orcid": "0000-0001-5157-0597" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Inês Dourado", "orcid": "0000-0003-1675-2146" }, { "affs": [ 0, 2, 9 ], "name": "Laio Magno", "orcid": "0000-0003-3752-0782" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bm0e5k6bj5k1a.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1590/0102-311xen202725", "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13722035/?tool=EBI", "id": "bm0e5k6bj5k1a", "issns": [ "0102-311X", "1678-4464" ], "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722035", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Article" ], [ "openalex", "2725|HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions" ] ], "openalex": "W7224861792", "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13722035/pdf/?tool=EBI", "pmcid": "PMC13722035", "pmid": null, "published": "2026-10-30", "publisher": "Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bm0e5k6bj5k1a.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:21:36Z", "native_id": "PMC:PMC13722035", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722035" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-03T12:22:37Z", "native_id": "PMC13722035", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311xen202725" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "openalex:2725|HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions", "subfield": "infectious-disease" } ], "title": "Patterns of perceptions and beliefs about PrEP and their association with daily oral PrEP initiation among sexual and gender diverse adolescents in Brazil Padrões de percepções e crenças sobre a PrEP e sua associação com o início da PrEP oral diária entre adolescentes com diversidade sexual e de gênero no Brasil Patrones de percepciones y creencias sobre PrEP y su asociación con el inicio de la PrEP oral diaria entre adolescentes sexual y genéricamente diversos en Brasil", "title_text": "Patterns of perceptions and beliefs about PrEP and their association with daily oral PrEP initiation among sexual and gender diverse adolescents in Brazil Padrões de percepções e crenças sobre a PrEP e sua associação com o início da PrEP oral diária entre adolescentes com diversidade sexual e de gênero no Brasil Patrones de percepciones y creencias sobre PrEP y su asociación con el inicio de la PrEP oral diaria entre adolescentes sexual y genéricamente diversos en Brasil", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:22:37Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bm0e5k6bj5k1a", "venue": "Cadernos de saude publica", "versions": [] }