Future HIV Vaccine Acceptability Among Young Adults in South Africa

• Published in: Health education & behavior 2010-04, Vol.37 (2), p.193-210
• Main Authors: Sayles, Jennifer N., Macphail, Catherine L., Newman, Peter A., Cunningham, William E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceptability; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS); Adolescent; Adult; Adults; AIDS Vaccines; Attitude to Health; Barriers; Biological and medical sciences; Condoms; Disinhibition; Dissemination; Family Influence; Female; Focus Groups; Foreign Countries; Friendship; Gender Differences; Health Behavior; Health care; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Promotion; Health status; HIV; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - psychology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunization Programs; Infectious diseases; Intention; Male; Medical sciences; Medical service; Medicine, African Traditional; Men; Miscellaneous; Motivation; Peer Influence; Prejudice; Prevention; Prevention and actions; Preventive medicine; Public Health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Relatives; Sex education; Sexual Behavior; Sexuality; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Social Bias; Social Marketing; Socioeconomic Factors; South Africa; Stigma; Tests; Trust; Trust (Psychology); Uptake; Urban Population; Vaccination and vaccines; Vaccines; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Women; Young Adult; Young Adults; Youth
• ISSN: 1090-1981; 1552-6127
• DOI: 10.1177/1090198109335654

Developing and disseminating a preventive HIV vaccine is a primary scientific and public health objective. However, little is known about HIV vaccine acceptability in the high-prevalence setting of South Africa—where young adults are likely to be targeted in early dissemination efforts. This study reports on six focus groups (n = 42) conducted in 2007 with South Africans aged 18 to 24 years. A deductive framework approach is used to identify key motivators and barriers to future HIV vaccine uptake. Participants identify HIV testing, HIV stigma, mistrust of the health care system, and concerns about sexual disinhibition as barriers to vaccine uptake. For women, family members and friends are strong motivators for vaccine uptake, whereas men are more likely to see vaccines as an opportunity to stop using HIV prevention strategies such as condoms and partner reduction. Implications of these findings for developing HIV vaccine dissemination strategies and policy in South Africa are discussed.