Scaling HIV vaccine attitudes among gay men in Sydney,Australia

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.