HIV Preventive Measures' Adoption Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in West and Central Africa: A Scoping Review On Pre-exposure Prophylaxis and Condom Use

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and condom use have contributed to a global decline in the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. However, despite concerted preventive efforts, HIV infections remain highly prevalent in West and Central Africa (WCA) among key populations, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). We conducted a scoping review to gain a better understanding of the status of PrEP adoption and condom use as effective HIV prevention measures among MSM in WCA and identified gaps. The review was conducted based on JBI Scoping Review Guidelines spanning 1 January 2017 to 10 April 2025. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL Ultimate, PsycINFO, ProQuest, Scopus, and OpenAIRE. This was supplemented with a manual search of reference lists, websites, and other online sources to capture key information relevant to the review objectives. Emerging patterns from the data were described and synthesised. Of the 713 identified studies, 22 studies comprising 19 quantitative and 3 qualitative studies were included in the final synthesis. The results indicate uneven with generally low to high uptake of PrEP, persistent inconsistencies in condom use, and risk compensation behaviours among MSM in WCA. Given that our findings are primarily from quantitative studies, additional qualitative studies on the lived experiences of MSM regarding these preventive measures are needed. From a policy implementation perspective, emphasis should be placed on MSM-inclusive, context-sensitive, and community-aligned HIV prevention strategies in WCA.