title: Scaling HIV vaccine attitudes among gay men in Sydney, Australia.
abstract: This study aimed to develop reliable scales of HIV vaccine attitudes. Gay men were recruited at the 2001 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair Day, a large gay community gathering of thousands of people. A total of 776 participants completed a questionnaire containing 38 items about HIV vaccines. Factor analysis of the responses of 585 HIV-negative/untested men revealed four distinct factors (accounting cumulatively for 24.5% of the variance): I, Comfort with Participation in HIV Vaccine Trials, Cronbach alpha = 0.81; II, Confidence in HIV Vaccines/Vaccine Trials, Cronbach alpha = 0.71; III, Sexual Freedom, Cronbach alpha = 0.64; IV, Willingness to Participate in HIV Vaccine Trials, Cronbach alpha = 0.59. Of the HIV-negative/untested men, 162 (27.7%) were likely/very likely to volunteer for HIV vaccine trials, and 422 (72.3%) were unlikely/very unlikely to do so. As preliminary evidence of construct validity, the 162 men had a higher mean score on scale I (2.79), indicating greater comfort with trial participation than their 422 counterparts (2.47, p < 0.001). As preliminary evidence of concurrent validity, the 162 men had a higher mean score on scale IV (2.79), indicating greater willingness to participate than the rest (2.22, p < 0.001). Alongside HIV vaccine trials, these scales may be a useful adjunct to social research in gay communities; to monitor and be responsive to community concerns about HIV vaccine trials as well as their potential to undermine safe sex practices.
authors.affiliation: National Centre in HIV Social Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. p.vandeven@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van De Ven
authors.forename: Bradford
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bartholow
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rawstorne
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kippax
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grulich
authors.forename: Garrett
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prestage
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woodhouse
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001315:Australia; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000523:psychology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines