Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41575704›Full record

ArticleInfectious diseases and therapy2026

How Status Quo Bias Shapes Willingness, Uptake, and Adherence to PrEP Among Chinese MSM: A Behavioral Economics Perspective.

Min Zhao, Xiang Zhao, Ye Zhang, Zhuoheng Yin, Fanpu Ji, Jason J Ong, Weiming Tang, Lei Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Infectious diseases and therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Min ZhaoDepartment of Hepatology, Phase I Clinical Trial Research Ward, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157 Xi Wu Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2997-2431
Xiang ZhaoXinjiang Medical University, No. 393, Xinyi Road, Ürümqi, 830011, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China.
Ye ZhangSchool of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, People's Republic of China.
Zhuoheng YinUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project-China, 7 Lujing Road, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
Fanpu JiDepartment of Hepatology, Phase I Clinical Trial Research Ward, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157 Xi Wu Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
Jason J OngArtificial Intelligence and Modelling in Epidemiology Programme, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, 55 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
Weiming TangUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project-China, 7 Lujing Road, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
Lei ZhangChina-Australia Joint Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No.76 Yanta West Road, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China. lei.zhang1@monash.edu.

Funding

Humanities and Social Science Fund of Ministry of Education of China 2022YFC2304900Humanities and Social Science Fund of Ministry of Education of China 24YJC840051National Key Research and Development Programme of China 2022YFC2505100Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province 2025JC-YBQN-1106
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionImplementing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is hindered by a significant "PrEP Cliff", a sharp decline from willingness to uptake and adherence. This study aimed to integrate status quo bias theory with a dual-process model, seeking to understand how this bias influences the PrEP cascade among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China.

methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1022 MSM across six provinces in China from November 2024 to February 2025. Through regression models, we tested a moderated mediation framework to examine how status quo bias influenced PrEP willingness, uptake, and adherence, focusing on the mediating role of PrEP resistance intention and the moderating role of condom-use inertia.

resultsParticipants were generally young (≤ 30 years; 63.1%), mostly unmarried (88.5%), and well-educated (89% with a bachelor's degree or higher). The "PrEP Cliff" was evident, characterized by high awareness (91.3%) and willingness among non-users (58.9%), but low uptake (46.2%) and poor adherence, with 53.4% of users self-reporting lower adherence. In the initiation phase (willingness and uptake), PrEP resistance intention significantly mediated the associations of transition costs and social norms on PrEP cascade outcomes. Condom-use inertia significantly moderated this mediation pathway by strengthening the associations of transition costs (β = 0.06, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.11) and social norms (β = - 0.05, 95% CI - 0.10 to 0.00) on PrEP resistance intention. However, the mechanism shifted during the adherence phase. Adherence was instead predominantly predicted by the direct associations of transition costs (β = - 0.44, 95% CI - 0.64 to - 0.23) and social norms (β = 0.56, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.74).

conclusionThis study provides an evidence-based framework for clinicians and public health programs to design stage-specific interventions tailored to the distinct psychological barriers that dominate each phase.

Indexed as

Condom-use inertiaDual-process modelMSMPrEPSocial normsStatus quo biasTransition cost

Identifiers

PMID41575704
PMCPMC12924801

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.