Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents' Preferences for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Social Marketing Campaigns: Qualitative Preimplementation Study

Background: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents in the United States are disproportionately affected by HIV. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective biomedical HIV prevention method, but its awareness and uptake among SGM adolescents are low. There are no adolescent-centered PrEP social marketing campaigns in the United States that have the potential to increase awareness and interest in PrEP. Objective: To address this gap, this qualitative study aims to examine SGM adolescents' needs and preferences regarding adolescent-centered PrEP social marketing campaigns. Methods: SGM adolescents from Chicago and its surrounding areas participated in web-based asynchronous focus groups from February to May 2021. Questions elicited their preferences for content, design, and delivery of SGM adolescent-centered PrEP campaigns. We used rapid qualitative data analysis and organized the findings around key components of social marketing, known as the 4 Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. Results: Participants (N=56) were aged 14 to 19 years (mean 18.16, SD 1.22 y), and 64% (36/56) of them identified as a racial or ethnic minority. Among the 56 participants, 70% (n=39) were aware of PrEP; however, 95% (n=53) did not know that PrEP could be prescribed to those aged under 18 years. Adolescents expressed a need for PrEP campaign messaging that provides simple, accurate, and easily accessible information (eg, what is PrEP, for whom PrEP is indicated, and where and how to access PrEP). For product and price, SGM adolescents wanted a campaign to address barriers to, costs of, and how to access PrEP and desired to know about other adolescents'PrEP experiences to improve campaign relatability. For place and promotion, participants preferred digital campaigns on social media to reduce the possibility of embarrassment and stigma and increase the accessibility of health content. Conclusions: These findings lay the groundwork for designing adolescent-centered educational PrEP campaigns that prioritize both user preferences in PrEP marketing design and strategies to overcome common barriers to PrEP awareness.