Table 4.

Barriers and motivators specific to acceptability of an approved HIV vaccine and representative quotes from participants

	Quotations from participants in HIV vaccine acceptability focus groups
Barriers
1. Duration of protection	“What happens if the strain changes and you need to get another vaccination three years down the line and all of a sudden. . .you. . .have. . .too much of this in your body?” (MSM)^a “[Is it] once in your life?... do I have to come back each month or each year or what?” (Youth)
2. Cross-clade protection	“The [HIV] virus from the United States is different than the virus from other countries. . .so if people come from other countries, they will infect others with a different virus.” (Latina) “. . .if people were to get vaccinated, would they then assume that they were completely safe when they might actually be able to be exposed to a different strain?” (Female IDU)^b
3. Cost and access	“If it wasn’t free, I wouldn’t be able to afford it.” (Male IDU) “If it was free, I wouldn’t trust it because then I think that they were trying to reverse it and make you sicker.” (Male IDU) “Who would get the vaccine. . ..Like in Africa millions of people are dying. How is it going to be distributed?” (Latina)
Motivators
1. Unprotected sex	“I would get vaccinated so that I don’t get HIV and to practice sex without condoms.” (Latino MSM) “There will be more promiscuity. . .more sexual freedom in regards to ‘try anything you want.”’ (Latino) “A lot of my friends have died already [of HIV/AIDS]. . .We’ve had friends affected and. . . I’m not sure I feel like continuing to practice safe sex.” (MSM) “Feel. . .safe about having unprotected sex. . .peace of mind.” (MSM)
2. Vaccine endorsement	“If my doctor, who I trust, recommended that I do it, I would do it.” (MSM) “I would trust the radio, especially if it was on 92.3 - The Beat. I would trust the radio. That’s me.” (Youth)
3. Improving overall health	“I would take the vaccine because I want to stay alive as long as I can.” (Female IDU) “My friends and I would do it because we are already infected and we want a cure.” (Latino MSM) “for health reasons.” (Female IDU)

MSM = men who have sex with men.

IDU = injection drug user.