Reasons for not using pre-exposure prophylaxis among study participants, in total and stratified by province
| Reason | No. (%) of participants | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total n = 260 | Ontario n = 184 | British Columbia n = 76 | |
| Concern about adverse effects | 108 (41) | 77 (42) | 31 (41) |
| Unable to afford it | 92 (35) | 80 (43) | 12 (16) |
| Not feeling at high enough risk | 76 (29) | 49 (27) | 27 (36) |
| Unwillingness to take a pill regularly | 65 (25) | 47 (26) | 18 (24) |
| Lack of knowledge about where to get it | 64 (25) | 48 (26) | 16 (21) |
| Lack of protection against other STIs | 50 (19) | 36 (20) | 14 (18) |
| Consistent condom use for anal sex | 33 (13) | 20 (11) | 13 (17) |
| Concern about what others would think | 32 (12) | 25 (14) | 7 (9) |
| No particular reason | 22 (8) | 17 (9) | 5 (7) |
| Other* | 18 (7) | 9 (5) | 9 (12) |
| Belief that PrEP is not effective enough | 11 (4) | 8 (4) | 3 (4) |
| The HCP would not prescribe it | 10 (4) | 5 (3) | 5 (7) |
| Lack of interest | 8 (3) | 5 (3) | 3 (4) |
Note: HCP = health care provider, PrEP = pre-exposure prophylaxis, STI = sexually transmitted infection.
↵* Other reasons included the following: the process to getting PrEP is too complicated, busy schedule, no or infrequent anal sex, being monogamous, privacy issues, and being told that they are not at high enough risk, among others.