The general public's support toward governmental provision of free/subsidized HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis to at-risk Chinese people: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND Given its high cost, governmental financing is essential for promoting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The study investigated levels and associated factors of the general public's support toward governmental provision of free or subsidized PrEP to Chinese people at high risk of HIV. METHODS A population-based random telephone survey was conducted among 300 residents in Hong Kong, China from June to July, 2019. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression were performed. RESULTS The prevalence of supportive attitude for free and subsidized PrEP was 30.0% and 30.3%, respectively; opinions were split as similar proportions showed oppositional attitude. Those who were older, had less education, did not have a full-time job, or reported a lower household income were less likely to support free or subsidized PrEP. Stigmatizing attitudes against homosexuals (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.81, 95% CI: 0.73, 0.89) and perceived negative societal impacts of free PrEP (AOR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.70, 0.87) were negatively associated with the support for free PrEP. Compassion to others (AOR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.21), perceived positive societal impacts of free PrEP (AOR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.43, 2.44), and the belief that the positive impacts would overweigh the negative impacts (AOR=26.97, 95% CI: 10.66, 68.24) were positively associated with the support for free PrEP. Similar associations were observed for the support toward subsidized PrEP. CONCLUSIONS The Hong Kong general public's support for government financial assistance of PrEP for people at high risk of HIV was low. PrEP advocacy campaigns are warranted and suggested to incorporate components that address the associated factors.