| Sumario: | This study examined the acceptance of HIV vaccine by African Americans, a group that has experienced a disproportionate burden of infection. It focused on 124 African American women from diverse socio-economic backgrounds living in Forsyth County in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. On the surface, an HIV vaccine certainly looks attractive. The United States spends huge sums annually to support those carrying the AIDS virus, but the vaccine would be pointless if high-risk populations, such as African American women, refuse it. Most of the participants in this study said they would accept an HIV vaccine as protection. However, the findings also show multidimensional barriers to acceptance, including misinformation, concerns about efficacy, and past racist and ethical controversies involving the US medical system. The symbolic interactionist view that we can understand human behavior from the meanings individuals attach to social reality guided data analysis. The study sought to understand African American women's perceptions of HIV and AIDS, an HIV vaccine, and its proponents.
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