KEYWORD1:
HIV/AIDS prevention, vaccine acceptance, women, ethnic minorities, injection drug users

BACKGROUND:
HIV vaccines are expected to be publicly available within the next decade. HIV-related stigma coupled with sub-optimal adult immunization suggests adoption of HIV vaccines is not guaranteed. Women’s adoption might be especially challenging considering women’s reproductive and care-giving issues, mistrust of research, and denial of HIV risk, especially among women of low-income and ethnic minority communities.

OBJECTIVE:
This study examined motivators and concerns regarding adoption of hypothetical post-efficacy trial HIV vaccines among ethnic minority and drug-using women.

METHOD:
Four focus groups were conducted among Hispanic, African-American and injection drug-using women and among healthcare providers serving primarily low-income ethnic minority women.

RESULT:
Motivators and concerns were organized around the individual, community, and system levels. Fear of appearing to distrust one’s partner was a predominant concern among the Latinas. Unknown vaccine consequences (reproductive effects, cross-clade protection, and testing positive for HIV) were common themes raised among all women. Protection from HIV was the main motivator for vaccine adoption. Stigma of attending a clinic known to provide HIV vaccines was an important community level barrier. Access to the vaccine for low-income and working class populations was seen as a system barrier; but mandatory vaccination (at birth, for a marriage license, or entrance into the country) was seen as a potential system facilitator to adoption of HIV vaccines.

CONCLUSION:
These findings suggest potential strategies to increase post-trial HIV vaccine adoption among women at risk for HIV: educate the community well in advance of available HIV vaccines to increase understanding of vaccine consequences; counsel couples to address issues of distrust; provide discrete sites that offer information and accessible HIV vaccinations; and consider routine or mandatory vaccinations.
LEARNINGOBJECTIVES:
To have participants understand the perspectives of ethnic minority and substance-abusing women regarding potential adoption of a post-efficacy trial HIV vaccine.