Microbicide preference among young women in California

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Microbicides for HIV/STI prevention are under development.
• Traditional research methods have limitations in assessing hypothetical product acceptability.
• Integrating market research with epidemiological methods offers new insights into user preferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine potential users' preferences for different microbicide formulations.
• To integrate conjoint analysis into microbicide acceptability research.
• To understand demand for hypothetical microbicide products.

Main Methods:

• Focus group discussions with young men and women (n=67).
• Structured surveys with young women (n=321) including conjoint analysis.
• Assessed intentions for microbicide formulations and product characteristics.

Main Results:

• Participants prioritized microbicides offering protection from pregnancy, HIV, STIs, and vaginal infections.
• Ideal characteristics include condom-level protection, 8-hour insertion window, OTC availability, applicator use, and minimal leakage.
• The average predicted purchase probability for an ideal microbicide was 69%.

Conclusions:

• Findings illustrate microbicide product preferences and demand among young women.
• The conjoint analysis methodology can be applied to other populations and clinical trials.
• Understanding product use and nonuse is critical for microbicide development and implementation.