Intention Toward Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use Among Female Sex Workers From Rural Area: A Cross-sectional Study in Jember, Indonesia

Abstract

HIV transmission among Indonesian female sex workers (FSW) remains a concern. The pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as one of the HIV transmission prevention methods was limited in urban areas. The issue about PrEP will be available in rural areas of Jember, Indonesia. The related sector needs more preparation to respond to it. This study aims to determine the intention toward PrEP use among FSWs and its influencing factors (sociodemographic, PrEP-related knowledge, motivation, and self-efficacy) in rural areas. Materials and methods: This study used a cross-sectional approach. One hundred thirty-eight (138) FSWs were involved and were reached using purposive sampling. Data was collected using close-ended questionnaires and analysed using the Spearman bivariate correlation. Results: This study showed that only 31.2% of respondents intend to use PrEP. Several sociodemographic factors are significantly related to the intention to use PrEP among FSW, including age (p=0.013), recent education (p<0.001), length of time serving commercial sex (p=0.003), history of receiving PrEP information/education (p=0.027), and PrEP-related self-efficacy (p<0.001). Therefore, the factors of marital status (p=0.261), the experience of HIV testing (p=0.232), knowledge of PrEP (p=0.127), and motivation related to PrEP (p=0.093) were not significantly related to the intention to use PrEP. Conclusion: The intention toward PrEP use among FSWs is still low and significantly influenced by their self-efficacy. Efforts are needed to optimise the intention of FSW to use PrEP, such as increasing awareness of the dangers of HIV, socialising the importance of using PrEP when it is available, giving information about PrEP, and providing support so the motivation increases