Vaccination of Men who have Sex with Men at a Gay Pride Event

BACKGROUND: Public Health has advocated service delivery in alternative venues, however there is a major question about the willingness of high-risk individuals to be vaccinated in such settings.

METHODS: The Field Risk Assessment (FRA) was administered to 1096 men who have sex with men (MSM) at the 2006 and 2007 Long Beach Gay Pride event. The MSM were between the ages of 15 and 73 years (M = 34.26, SD = 10.63). All participants (44.8% Hispanic, 37.3% White, 7.6% Asian, 6.8% African American, 3.5% Other) were initially assessed with the FRA and then referred to the Center for Behavioral Research and Services' vaccination booth for hepatitis A and B vaccinations. Bivariate analyses were used to determine the relationship between self report of high-risk behavior and receipt of hepatitis vaccination.

RESULTS: Of the MSM who completed the FRA, 280/1096 = 25.56% received a hepatitis vaccination. MSM who reported engaging in unprotected sex in the last 12 months were significantly more likely to get a hepatitis vaccination at Gay Pride (χ²(1, N = 1096) = 5.22, p<.05). MSM who reported using illicit drugs (cocaine, crack-cocaine, or methamphetamine) in the last 12 months were also significantly more likely to get a hepatitis vaccination at Gay Pride (χ²(1, N = 1096) = 4.85, p<.05).

CONCLUSION: Evidence exists for the success of vaccinations of high-risk MSM at Gay Pride events.