(P451) Promoting Uptake of a Future HIV Vaccine: Opinions among Parents of Adolescents in Alabama

Background: Despite effective HIV prevention methods, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, there were more than 30,000 new HIV diagnoses in 2020. People aged 13 to 34 years accounted for more than half (57%) of these cases and 51% of those newly diagnosed lived in the South, demonstrating how these infections disproportionately impact different communities and the need for additional prevention methods. HIV vaccines could be important additions to available primary prevention tools, especially as three mRNA HIV vaccines recently entered phase 1 clinical trials. Therefore, more needs to be known about facilitators of, and barriers to, acceptance. This study seeks to understand drivers of HIV vaccine acceptability among parents in Alabama.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of adolescents aged 9 to 17 years in Alabama. Interviews explored participants opinions about a future HIV vaccine, including the need for a vaccine to be developed, acceptability, and desired vaccine characteristics, such as cost and booster doses. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.

Results: All 21 participants expressed a need for an HIV vaccine to be developed: 10 said that if such a vaccine were available, they would get their child vaccinated, 10 were unsure, and one said they would refuse. Many participants expressed a need for an HIV vaccine because of the severity of HIV-associated diseases. This was especially salient for participants who remembered the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the number of deaths that occurred. However, many expressed concerns about a future HIV vaccine, including that those vaccinated would test positive for HIV due to the presence of antibodies and preference for behavioral interventions such as condom use and abstinence.

Conclusion: As HIV vaccine development continues, it is imperative to understand the determinants that could impact uptake. Within this study, all participants expressed the need for an HIV vaccine to be developed. Half were willing to get their children vaccinated if one was available, suggesting more work is needed to promote uptake of a future HIV vaccine. Continuing to examine potential determinants that could impact uptake will be vital to promote vaccination once one is available.