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Background: Chlamydia vaccination is a potentially important strategy to prevent infections and reduce the global burden of disease. Ideally, chlamydia immunization programs would require vaccinating adolescents before they engage in sexual activity. Communication by health care providers (HCPs) has been shown to have an impact on vaccine acceptance. Therefore, it is imperative to understand their opinions on chlamydia vaccines and factors that would promote strong vaccine recommendations to patients to promote uptake., Methods: Semi-structured interviews with adolescent HCPs were conducted and focused on perceived need for chlamydia vaccine. Additional topics included vaccine characteristics, such as efficacy, cost, and booster vaccines, and potential vaccine recommendation strategies., Results: From January to July 2021, 22 interviews were completed. Health care providers discussed how chlamydia vaccines are needed, especially in settings with high prevalence rates. Health care providers thought a chlamydia vaccine would need to be very efficacious in preventing infections and related sequalae and cost-effective. However, there were concerns about low completion rates if this vaccine required multiple doses or boosters. In addition, vaccine misinformation was prevalent among HCPs regarding potential benefits of vaccination., Conclusions: Health care providers' perceptions that an adolescent chlamydia vaccine would be beneficial offers great promise for future promotion. However, there is need for targeted education programs about chlamydia and the benefits of vaccination for HCPs. These programs will be especially important in order for HCPs to effectively communicate about the benefits of vaccination to parents and adolescents provide strong vaccine recommendations., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: L.M.N. has served as a scientific advisor for Merck, Moderna, and Janssen. G.D.Z. has served as a consultant and advisory committee member for Merck regarding HPV vaccination and as an advisory committee member for Moderna regarding COVID-19 vaccination. He has also received investigator-initiated research funding from Merck, administered through Indiana University. E.T.O. served as a consultant for ViiV. All other authors have no conflicts to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association. All rights reserved.)

Background: Chlamydia vaccines are currently under development and have the potential to lower the incidence of infection and disease, which are highest among adolescents and young adults. Ideally, a chlamydia vaccine would be administered to adolescents before sexual debut, a time when parents are the primary vaccine decision makers. This study explores parent opinions about an adolescent chlamydia vaccine to understand barriers and facilitators to uptake., Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with parents of adolescents. Topics included conversations parents have with their children about chlamydia, opinions on chlamydia vaccine development, and vaccine characteristics, such as efficacy and cost. Interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach., Results: From March to April 2021, 21 interviews were completed. Few parents discuss chlamydia with their children and sex education was seen as limited. Overall, 16 parents indicated that a chlamydia vaccine is needed. However, there were mixed opinions about vaccinating their own children, related to the need to vaccinate at a young age, vaccine efficacy, and confusion about benefits of vaccination. Finally, healthcare provider recommendations were seen as important before deciding to vaccinate a child., Conclusions: Although parents think that chlamydia vaccines are needed, lack of awareness about infections and potential benefits of vaccination could serve as barriers to uptake. Healthcare provider recommendations can help to improve knowledge and vaccine uptake. However, there is a need for multilevel approaches to improve chlamydia awareness and ensure that vaccination initiation and completion rates remain high., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest and Sources of Funding: Dr Niccolai has served as a scientific advisor for Merck, Moderna, and Janssen. Dr Zimet has served as a consultant and advisory committee member for Merck regarding human papillomavirus vaccination and as an advisory committee member for Moderna regarding COVID-19 vaccination. He has also received investigator-initiated research funding from Merck, administered through Indiana University. Dr Overton served as a consultant for ViiV. All other authors have no conflicts to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association. All rights reserved.)

Background: Risk behavior surveys often target sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic populations, but few studies address risk behaviors in primary care settings., Methods: This cross-sectional study performed at a university adult primary care clinic evaluated risk behaviors using an anonymous, self-administered survey. The following data were collected: demographics, sexual history, condom use, and confidence discussing STDs., Results: A total of 718 surveys were completed: 69% by females and 67% black. A total of 44% had never been asked about sexual health by their primary care provider and 18% reported they had never had a gender-specific genital examination. Among 394 sexually active individuals in the past 3 months, 58% reported never using a condom, and 33% stated they would not use a condom for their next sexual encounter. About one-third of the sample had never been tested for HIV and was not aware of their partner's HIV status. One-third reported history of STD, and 32% reported feeling uncomfortable discussing STDs with primary care provider., Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that sexual health is infrequently addressed despite high rates of previous STDs and low condom use in this population. Identifying barriers to determining sexual risk behaviors in the primary care setting will help to expand testing strategies for HIV and other STDs.