Anticipated HIV Vaccine Acceptability among Sexually Active African-American Adult Women

An HIV vaccine, once it becomes available, could reduce vulnerability to HIV among African-American women. The purpose of this study was to assess determinants of HIV vaccine acceptability among African-American women across hypothetical levels of vaccine efficacy. 

Participants were recruited from a hospital-based family planning clinic in Atlanta, GA serving low-income patients (N = 321). Data were collected from audio-computer assisted surveys administered in the clinic waiting room. Psychosocial survey items were guided by Risk Homeostasis Theory (RHT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify determinants of acceptability for two hypothetical HIV vaccines with 50% and 90% efficacy. 

Overall, 63% of participants would accept a vaccine with 50% efficacy and 85% would accept a vaccine with 90% efficacy. In multivariate analyses, odds of acceptability for a vaccine with 50% efficacy were higher among participants with greater perceived HIV vaccine benefits and lower among participants with more than high school education and greater perceived costs of HIV vaccination. Odds of acceptability for a vaccine with 90% efficacy were higher among participants with greater perceived costs of unprotected sex, HIV vaccine benefits and self-efficacy for sex refusal. 

HIV vaccine acceptability was high, particularly for a vaccine with 90% efficacy. Findings suggest that demographic and psychosocial factors may impact acceptability of an eventual HIV vaccine. Once an HIV vaccine is available, interventions to maximize uptake may benefit from using RHT and SCT constructs to target relevant psychosocial factors, such as perceived benefits and perceived costs of vaccination.

Via:  http://ht.ly/S1EKd 

By: Painter J1,2, Cene-Kush C3, Conner A3, Cwiak C4, Haddad L4, Mulligan M5, DiClemente R3,6.

• 1Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. jellenb@emory.edu.
• 2Vaccinology Training Program, School of Medicine, Emory University, 1462 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. jellenb@emory.edu.
• 3Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
• 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Emory University, 1648 Pierce Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
• 5Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Emory University, 1648 Pierce Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
• 6Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, 1648 Pierce Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.