Preventive HIV vaccine acceptability and behavioral risk compensation among a random sample of high-risk adults in Los Angeles (LA VOICES).

Objective: To assess HIV vaccine acceptability among high-risk adults in Los Angeles.

Study Setting: Sexually transmitted disease clinics, needle/syringe exchange programs, Latino community health/HIV prevention programs.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey using conjoint analysis. Participants were randomly selected using three-stage probability sampling.

Data Collection: Sixty-minute structured interviews. Participants rated acceptability of eight hypothetical vaccines, each with seven dichotomous attributes, and reported post-vaccination risk behavior intentions.

Principal Findings: Participants (n=1164; 55.7 percent male, 82.4 percent ethnic minority, mean age=37.4 years) rated HIV vaccine acceptability from 28.4 to 88.6; mean=54.5 (SD=18.8; 100-point scale). Efficacy had the greatest impact on acceptability, followed by side effects and out-of-pocket cost. Ten percent would decrease condom use after vaccination.

Conclusions: Findings support development of social marketing interventions to increase acceptability of "partial efficacy" vaccines, behavioral interventions to mitigate risk compensation, and targeted cost subsidies.