Measuring Concurrency Attitudes: Development and Validation of a Vignette-Based Scale.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Sociology

Background:

• Concurrent sexual partnerships are linked to increased HIV transmission rates in African Americans.
• Attitudes significantly influence health behaviors and behavioral change.
• Existing models highlight the importance of attitudes in health-related behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable scale for measuring attitudes toward concurrent sexual partnerships.
• To assess the attitudes of young African American adults regarding concurrency.
• To provide a tool for evaluating interventions targeting sexual networks.

Main Methods:

• Developed vignette-based items from focus groups and cognitive testing.
• Administered a telephone survey to African American adults (18-34) in Eastern North Carolina.
• Utilized exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha for scale validation and reliability assessment.

Main Results:

• A 6-item scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.79).
• Attitudes toward concurrency positively correlated with participation in concurrent partnerships (r = 0.298).
• Attitudes were also associated with alcohol/drug use and negatively with age and female gender.

Conclusions:

• A vignette-based scale offers an effective method for measuring attitudes related to concurrency.
• This scale can be a valuable tool for evaluating interventions aimed at modifying sexual network patterns.
• The findings support the use of attitude measurement in public health interventions.