Scales to Assess Knowledge, Motivation, and Self-Efficacy for HIV PrEP in Colombian MSM: PrEP-COL Study
Table 3
Factor loadings for item scale versions (pattern matrix).
Scale items
PrEP known factor solution, 9 items
PrEP attitudes factor solution
PrEP stigma factor solution
PrEP descriptive norms factor solution
PrEP subjective norms factor solution
PrEP self-efficacy factor solution
(F I)
(F II)
(F III)
(F I)
(F I)
(F I)
(F II)
(F I)
(F I)
(F II)
PrEP is a daily pill you can take to reduce your risk of becoming infected with HIV
0.60
You should not use PrEP if you don’t know your HIV status
0.60
If you do not take PrEP consistently, there may not be enough medicine in your bloodstream to block the HIV virus
0.66
PrEP can be used to prevent STIs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and HPV
0.66
If you start taking PrEP, you will have to take it for the rest of your life
0.24
PrEP can be taken by people who already have HIV
0.37
You must take an HIV test every 3 months while taking PrEP
0.36
There are many serious side effects of taking PrEP
0.49
The PrEP pill contains two medicines that are also used to treat HIV
0.41
PrEP is effective at preventing HIV
0.76
People who take PrEP are responsible
0.75
Taking PrEP is safe
0.85
It would be no trouble to take PrEP every day
0.63
The government makes certain that drugs like PrEP are safe
0.68
Getting a PrEP prescription from a doctor would be embarrassing
0.77
People who take PrEP are promiscuous
0.73
I would be concerned if my family found out I was taking it
0.86
I would be concerned if my friends found out I was taking it
0.91
I would be concerned if my sexual partner(s) found out I was taking it
0.86
People in my community would be interested in learning more about PrEP
0.85
People in my community would be willing to talk with their doctors about using PrEP
0.95
People in my community would consider taking PrEP
0.92
My friends would be interested in learning more about PrEP
1.00
My friends would be willing to talk with their doctors about using PrEP
0.94
My friends would consider taking PrEP
0.86
My friends would be supportive of me using PrEP
0.70
My friends would think it was smart if I used PrEP
0.84
My friends would think it was responsible if I used PrEP
0.90
My sexual partner(s) would be supportive of me using PrEP
0.87
My sexual partner(s) would think it was smart if I used PrEP
0.85
My sexual partner(s) would think it was responsible if I used PrEP
0.85
How difficult would it be for you to seek out more information about PrEP to decide if it is right for you?
0.67
How difficult would it be for you to talk with your sexual partner(s) about the decision to take PrEP?
0.64
How difficult would it be for you to visit a doctor who can provide PrEP?
0.82
How difficult would it be for you to talk openly and honestly with a doctor about your sexual behaviours?
0.78
How difficult would it be for you to get tested for HIV?
0.56
How difficult would it be for you to find a way to pay for PrEP?
0.58
How difficult would it be for you to take medicine like PrEP every day?
0.93
How difficult would it be for you to visit a doctor every three months for routine screenings?
0.87
Proportion variance
0.33
0.54
0.69
0.63
0.23
0.70
0.39
0.18
Scale items had a bad fit and were excluded. Knowledge PrEP scale: each item was scored on a 3-point scale: 1 = true, 2 = false, and 3 = don’t know. Scores on this scale were recoded as 1 = correct and 0 = incorrect/don’t know, with higher scores indicating a greater degree of knowledge. Each item was scored on a 3-point scale as 1 = disagree, 2 = neutral, and 3 = agree, to scales of attitudes, stigma, descriptive norms, and subjective norms, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes, a greater degree of stigma, and more positive norms. And for the self-efficacy scale, each item was scored on a 4-point scale ranging from 1 = very difficult to 4 = not difficult at all. Higher scores indicated more self-efficacy.
