Open AccessCOVID-19 prevention behaviors, trust, and intent to vaccinate among youth at risk for HIV
Author(s) -
Joan Christodoulou,
Anne E. Fehrenbacher,
Elizabeth H. Shaw,
Eleanor Vincent,
Jessica Londeree Saleska
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0266321
Subject(s) - herd immunity , psychological intervention , covid-19 , government (linguistics) , vaccination , pandemic , medicine , young adult , psychology , environmental health , family medicine , gerontology , immunology , virology , psychiatry , linguistics , philosophy , disease , pathology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty)
The current study examines COVID-19 prevention behaviors and vaccine intentions among 83 youth at high risk for HIV. Most youth self-identified as Latinx (52%), cisgender men (84%), and homosexual (66%). Youth self-reported COVID-19 prevention behaviors and intentions to vaccinate. Participants reported wearing face masks, washing hands, and staying six feet apart, but fewer reported leaving home only for essential needs. About one-third reported that they would not get a vaccine, and lack of trust in their doctors and the government were significantly associated with non-intention. To improve efforts towards herd immunity, interventions to improve health messaging from trusted sources for at-risk youth may be necessary to achieve higher vaccine uptake.