The acceptability of HIV immunization: examining vaccine characteristics as determining factors

The acceptance of a future HIV vaccine may be influenced, in part, by the c haracteristics of the vaccine itself This study evaluated the relationship of vaccine characteristics to acceptability of hypothetical HIV immunizatio n. Subjects were 549 undergraduates (18-56 years of age); 70.3% were female , and 80.4% were non-Hispanic white. Subjects completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing a series of 12 hypothetical vaccines that varied a long the dimensions of efficacy (80 or 50%), cost (free or $300) and social saturation or percentage of the population already vaccinated (10, 50 or 9 0%). The vaccines were each rated on an 11-point scale ranging from zero (' I will never get this vaccine) to 100 ('I will definitely get this vaccine, in increments of ten. All three dimensions were significantly associated w ith probability of vaccine acceptance, particularly vaccine efficacy, and c ost. The highest rated vaccine (free, 80% efficacious, 90% saturation level ) received a mean acceptability score of 83.4, whereas the lowest rated vac cine ($300, 50% efficacious, 10% saturation level) received a mean score of 32.8. The mean acceptability rating across all 12 vaccines was 55.14. Thes e findings indicate the potential importance of considering the influence o f vaccine characteristics in future HIV immunization programmes.