Undergraduates' perception of HIV immunization: attitudes and behaviours as determining factors

The development of a vaccine to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a highly desirable goal. However, there may be a number of psy chosocial barriers to HIV vaccine acceptance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of health beliefs and health lifestyles to ac ceptability of hypothetical HIV immunization. The subjects were 549 college students who completed self-administered questionnaires that addressed hea lth beliefs, health behaviours, and acceptability of hypothetical HIV vacci nes. Results showed that all 6 variables of health beliefs, based in part o n the Health Belief Model, independently predicted HIV vaccine acceptabilit y. For the overall sample, 5 health behaviours were significantly correlate d with HIV vaccination: diet, smoking, drug use, alcohol use, and prior sex ual experience. The results suggest that universal HIV acceptance cannot be assumed, and that certain health beliefs and behaviours are likely to infl uence decisions regarding HIV immunization.