Abstract
BackgroundAs research on HIV vaccines continues to advance, studies exploring the feasibility of this intervention are necessary to inform uptake and dissemination strategies with key populations, including people who use drugs (PWUD).MethodsWe conducted 25 in-depth qualitative interviews examining HIV vaccine acceptability among PWUD in Vancouver, Canada. Participants were recruited from an ongoing prospective cohort of HIV-negative PWUD. Data were coded using NVivo, and analyzed thematically.ResultsAcceptability was framed by practical considerations such as cost and side effects, and was influenced by broader trust of government bodies and health care professionals. While an HIV vaccine was perceived as an important prevention tool, willingness to be vaccinated was low. Results suggest that future vaccine implementation must consider how to minimize the burden an HIV vaccine may place on PWUD. Centering the role of health care providers in information dissemination and delivery may assist with uptake.ConclusionsOur findings suggest improvements in care and improved patient-provider relationships would increase the acceptability of a potential HIV vaccine among this population.
Highlights
As research on Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccines continues to advance, studies exploring the feasibility of this intervention are necessary to inform uptake and dissemination strategies with key populations, including people who use drugs (PWUD)
We explore the perceptions of PWUD towards a hypothetical HIV vaccine in Vancouver, Canada, and their implications for the acceptability and uptake of an efficacious vaccine
Few participants were unaware of what a vaccine is or how it works, these individuals were more skeptical about a hypothetical preventative HIV vaccine
Summary
As research on HIV vaccines continues to advance, studies exploring the feasibility of this intervention are necessary to inform uptake and dissemination strategies with key populations, including people who use drugs (PWUD). Past studies have found that the acceptability of HIV vaccines depends on a variety of important factors, including perceptions of safety, potential side effects, distrust of health care systems and providers, and considerations of social risks (e.g., discrimination) [4, 5]. These works have generally focused on populations believed to be at high risk of HIV acquisition, such as sexually active youth [6, 7], Fleming et al BMC Public Health (2020) 20:1081 reports of hypothetical and real-world uptake are attributed to lack of knowledge of HBV and HCV [9, 21, 22], rather than stigma. Gendered power relations may play a role in women’s HIV-related vulnerability [27, 28], and considerations of contextual factors such as vulnerability to sexual and physical violence, distinctively shape women’s HIV-risk profiles [29, 30]
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