Background and Objectives: Vaccines represent an important strategy for the
control of infectious diseases but are only effective if accepted by the p
ublic. Unique attitudinal issues may affect usage of vaccines to control se
xually transmitted diseases (STDs), The object of this study nas to examine
among college students factors that may influence acceptance of a vaccine
against genital herpes.
Goals: To examine attitudes regarding acceptance of vaccination for genital
herpes by college students using aspects of health behavior theories.
Study Design: Subjects were recruited from an undergraduate psychology clas
s to complete a questionnaire regarding attitudes and beliefs about receivi
ng a potential genital herpes vaccine.
Results: Of the 518 subjects, 100 would not get the vaccine, 207 would, and
211 were unsure. In the final models, factors that influenced acceptance w
ere low cost and an opinion that the vaccine should be recommended for ever
yone. Those who were unsure were more likely to be influenced by an opinion
that the vaccine would be unsuccessful. While not remaining in the final m
odels, those who believed they were at low risk of acquiring genital herpes
were unlikely to accept a genital herpes vaccine.
Conclusions: Our results indicate that most college students would not reje
ct vaccination, a priori, against genital herpes. Vaccine acceptance may be
maximized if vaccine cost is low, the public is educated regarding risk of
acquiring genital herpes, and public health policy encourages universal va
ccination.