Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rhodes, S. D.
Right arrow Articles by Arceo, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rhodes, S. D.
Right arrow Articles by Arceo, R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Health Education Research, Vol. 19, No. 3, 272-283, June 1, 2004
© 2004 Oxford University Press

Developing and testing measures predictive of hepatitis A vaccination in a sample of men who have sex with men

Scott D. Rhodes1,3 and Ramiro Arceo2

1 Section on Social Sciences and Health Policy, Department of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063 and 2 Student Action with Farmworkers and North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27705, USA 3 Correspondence to: S. D. Rhodes; e-mail: SRhodes{at}WFUBMC.EDU

Studies continue to show that the majority of men who have sex with men (MSM) in the US remain unvaccinated against the hepatitis A virus (HAV). Such limited vaccination coverage is a missed opportunity to prevent disease. This study was designed to develop reliable and valid theory-based quantitative measures to understand beliefs and attitudes regarding HAV vaccination among MSM. A convenience sample of 358 patrons of two gay bars in Birmingham, Alabama, completed a theory-based questionnaire. Data were randomly split into two groups. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on the first split-half sample to identify factor structure using standard principal component analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on the remaining half sample using structural equation modeling. EFA revealed five scales measuring beliefs about HAV vaccination, including: perceived barriers and benefits associated with HAV vaccination; perceived severity and susceptibility related to hepatitis A infection; and perceived self- efficacy to complete the two-dose vaccine series. CFA revealed acceptable absolute model fits for four scales and excellent comparative model fits for all five scales. Multivariable analysis further validated the scales. Although the results should be tested further, these findings propose standardized measures that may be useful in assessing the beliefs and attitudes of MSM towards HAV vaccination to guide intervention design and evaluation.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.