Attitudes regarding vaccinations of STDs and other diseases

The purpose of this study was to examine, among 2 groups of individuals wit h different risk profiles, the similarity of their attitudes towards Vaccin es for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and non-STDs. Subjects were rec ruited from an undergraduate psychology class at an urban university (n = 5 18) or were participants in genital herpes vaccine trials (n = 87). The par ticipants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their attitudes about vaccines for selected diseases. The results of this study revealed th at, in general, both groups supported vaccination for most diseases. There were differences, however, between groups regarding 3 diseases: measles, ge nital warts, and chlamydia. The vaccine trial participants were more likely to accept vaccines for measles and the college students were more likely t o accept vaccines for chlamydia and genital warts. The results of this stud y suggest that negative attitudes regarding vaccination to control STDs may not be a significant barrier to use.