Attitudes regarding vaccinations of STDs and other diseases

The purpose of this study was to examine, among 2 groups of individuals with different risk profiles, the similarity of their attitudes towards vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and non-STDs. Subjects were recruited from an undergraduate psychology class at an urban university (n=518) or were participants in genital herpes vaccine trials (n=87). The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their attitudes about vaccines for selected diseases. The results of this study revealed that, in general, both groups supported vaccination for most diseases. There were differences, however, between groups regarding 3 diseases: measles, genital warts, and chlamydia. The vaccine trial participants were more likely to accept vaccines for measles and the college students were more likely to accept vaccines for chlamydia and genital warts. The results of this study suggest that negative attitudes regarding vaccination to control STDs may not be a significant barrier to use.