Table 2.
Baseline characteristics and PrEP initiation among participants in the COPE study for young men who have sex with men and transgender women who exchange sex, Thailand (2018–2020) (n = 846).
| All participants |
Initiation of PrEP use during study participation |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | Immediate n (%) | Delayed n (%) | None n (%) | p-value | |
| 846 | 531 (62.8%) | 104 (12.3%) | 211 (24.9%) | ||
| Study site | <0.001 | ||||
| Silom Community Clinic at Tropmed | 480 | 319 (66.5%) | 70 (14.6%) | 91 (19.0%) | |
| Service Workers in Group Foundation Bangkok | 133 | 86 (64.7%) | 17 (12.8%) | 30 (22.6%) | |
| Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand | 207 | 123 (59.4%) | 15 (7.2%) | 69 (33.3%) | |
| Service Workers in Group Foundation Pattaya | 26 | 3 (11.5%) | 2 (7.7%) | 21 (80.8%) | |
| Sociodemographic | |||||
| Years of age | 0.18 | ||||
| 18-20 | 189 | 117 (61.9%) | 20 (10.6%) | 52 (27.5%) | |
| 21-23 | 359 | 214 (59.6%) | 47 (13.1%) | 98 (27.3%) | |
| 24-26 | 297 | 200 (67.3%) | 37 (12.5%) | 60 (20.2%) | |
| Completed University education | 0.018 | ||||
| No | 388 | 224 (57.7%) | 54 (13.9%) | 110 (28.4%) | |
| Yes | 457 | 307 (67.2%) | 50 (10.9%) | 100 (21.9%) | |
| Currently at school | 0.42 | ||||
| No | 396 | 249 (62.9%) | 54 (13.6%) | 93 (23.5%) | |
| Yes | 450 | 282 (62.7%) | 50 (11.1%) | 118 (26.2%) | |
| Income from work, including sex work | 0.40 | ||||
| No | 244 | 147 (60.2%) | 29 (11.9%) | 68 (27.9%) | |
| Yes | 581 | 371 (63.9%) | 74 (12.7%) | 136 (23.4%) | |
| Sufficient income to meet basic needs | 0.71 | ||||
| No | 88 | 58 (65.9%) | 11 (12.5%) | 19 (21.6%) | |
| Yes | 744 | 462 (62.1%) | 92 (12.4%) | 190 (25.5%) | |
| Currently in a relationship | 0.52 | ||||
| No | 529 | 338 (63.9%) | 60 (11.3%) | 131 (24.8%) | |
| Yes | 316 | 193 (61.1%) | 44 (13.9%) | 79 (25.0%) | |
| Gender identitya | 0.046 | ||||
| Man, gay, or bisexual | 758 | 489 (64.5%) | 89 (11.7%) | 180 (23.7%) | |
| Woman or transgender woman | 73 | 35 (47.9%) | 12 (16.4%) | 26 (35.6%) | |
| Other or don't know | 15 | 7 (46.7%) | 3 (20.0%) | 5 (33.3%) | |
| Sexual behavior | |||||
| Last time had anal sex with man | 0.008 | ||||
| Within 30 days | 518 | 340 (65.6%) | 68 (13.1%) | 110 (21.2%) | |
| More than 30 days | 149 | 85 (57.0%) | 12 (8.1%) | 52 (34.9%) | |
| Don't know or refused to answer | 179 | 106 (59.2%) | 24 (13.4%) | 49 (27.4%) | |
| Used condom during last anal sex | <0.001 | ||||
| No | 214 | 104 (48.6%) | 50 (23.4%) | 60 (28.0%) | |
| Yes | 615 | 422 (68.6%) | 52 (8.5%) | 141 (22.9%) | |
| Don't know | 17 | 5 (29.4%) | 2 (11.8%) | 10 (58.8%) | |
| Used alcohol or drugs during anal sex in last 7 days | 0.65 | ||||
| No | 512 | 321 (62.7%) | 58 (11.3%) | 133 (26.0%) | |
| Yes | 91 | 61 (67.0%) | 11 (12.1%) | 19 (20.9%) | |
| Don't know or refused to answer | 243 | 149 (61.3%) | 35 (14.4%) | 59 (24.3%) | |
| Clinical testing | |||||
| Tested for HIV in last 6 months | <0.001 | ||||
| No | 272 | 142 (52.2%) | 42 (15.4%) | 88 (32.4%) | |
| Yes | 574 | 389 (67.8%) | 62 (10.8%) | 123 (21.4%) | |
| Chlamydia infection | 0.026 | ||||
| No | 722 | 442 (61.2%) | 88 (12.2%) | 192 (26.6%) | |
| Yes | 124 | 89 (71.8%) | 16 (12.9%) | 19 (15.3%) | |
| Gonorrhea infection | 0.060 | ||||
| No | 803 | 498 (62.0%) | 98 (12.2%) | 207 (25.8%) | |
| Yes | 42 | 32 (76.2%) | 6 (14.3%) | 4 (9.5%) | |
| Syphilis infection | 0.25 | ||||
| No | 799 | 497 (62.2%) | 98 (12.3%) | 204 (25.5%) | |
| Yes | 47 | 34 (72.3%) | 6 (12.8%) | 7 (14.9%) | |
| Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) | |||||
| Ever heard of PrEP before | 0.11 | ||||
| No | 123 | 67 (54.5%) | 19 (15.4%) | 37 (30.1%) | |
| Yes | 722 | 464 (64.3%) | 85 (11.8%) | 173 (24.0%) | |
| Ever taken PrEP before | <0.001 | ||||
| No | 694 | 412 (59.4%) | 91 (13.1%) | 191 (27.5%) | |
| Yes | 151 | 119 (78.8%) | 13 (8.6%) | 19 (12.6%) | |
| Know where to get PrEP | 0.21 | ||||
| No | 158 | 90 (57.0%) | 21 (13.3%) | 47 (29.7%) | |
| Yes | 687 | 441 (64.2%) | 83 (12.1%) | 163 (23.7%) | |
| Know others who use PrEP | 0.001 | ||||
| No | 461 | 266 (57.7%) | 59 (12.8%) | 136 (29.5%) | |
| Yes | 384 | 265 (69.0%) | 45 (11.7%) | 74 (19.3%) | |
| Willing to take PrEP every day | <0.001 | ||||
| No | 199 | 50 (25.1%) | 30 (15.1%) | 119 (59.8%) | |
| Yes | 646 | 481 (74.5%) | 74 (11.5%) | 91 (14.1%) | |
p-values based on Pearson's chi-squared test comparing all three PrEP initiation categories.
Immediate PrEP initiation defined as starting PrEP on day of study enrollment.
Delayed PrEP initiation defined as starting PrEP after day of study entry.
a
Gender identity classification reported here reflects multiple identities in Thailand that embody both sexual and gender preferences and expression; see text.