 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Scott D. Rhodes, PhD, MPH, CHES, Department of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Section on Social Sciences and Health Policy, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063, 336/713.5080, srhodes@wfubmc.edu, Leland J. Yee, MPH, PhD(c), Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit, 2nd Floor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Kepple Street, London, WC1E 7HT, England, and Kenneth C. Hergenrather, PhD, MSEd, MRC, CRC, Department of Counseling/Human and Organizational Studies, The George Washington University, 2134 G Street, NW, #318, Washington, DC 20052.
Background: Because safe vaccines against hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis B (HBV) exist, experiences with HAV and HBV vaccination efforts among men who have sex with men (MSM) offer a framework on which to place future HIV vaccination strategies.
Methods: Based on our own studies of HAV and HBV vaccination behavior and STD-testing behavior among MSM, and on experiences found in the literature, we analyzed current behavioral vaccination research among MSM with the aim of identifying potentially key contributors to HIV vaccination. We placed these contributors into a hypothesized triadic model of vaccination. The triadic model of vaccination includes: 1) a supply of vaccine; 2) the promotion of the vaccine and vaccination services; and, 3) a delivery channel for vaccination.
Results: Contributors to the success of promoting and delivering a vaccine among MSM included: 1) individual-level factors, including: demographic characteristics, basic knowledge of the vaccine, behavioral factors including sex and drug use, and psychosocial issues; 2) organizational-level factors including: access to, and continuity of, healthcare; trustworthiness of healthcare systems, and the integration of vaccination services into routine healthcare provision; and, 3) community-level factors, including: promotional partnerships with LGBT-serving community-based organizations.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a vaccine will be challenging to promote and deliver. Innovative promotion and delivery methods must be explored with proper mechanisms for empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of both. Because research suggests that the initial vaccine against HIV will be financially expensive, require multiple doses, and be moderately efficacious, further research is clearly needed in order to understand HIV vaccination behavior and maximize promotion and delivery to at-risk MSM once a vaccine exists.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Gay Men, Immunizations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.