ACT2 peer-driven intervention increases enrollment into HIV/AIDS medical studies among African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics: A cluster randomized controlled trial

AIDS Behav. 2014 Dec;18(12):2409-22. doi: 10.1007/s10461-014-0829-5.

Abstract

African American/Black and Hispanic persons living with HIV/AIDS ("AABH-PLHA") are under-represented in HIV/AIDS medical studies (HAMS). This paper evaluates the efficacy of a social/behavioral intervention to increase rates of screening for and enrollment into HAMS in these populations. Participants (N = 540) were enrolled into a cluster randomized controlled trial of an intervention designed to overcome multi-level barriers to HAMS. Primary endpoints were rates of screening for and enrollment into therapeutic/treatment-oriented and observational studies. Intervention arm participants were 30 times more likely to be screened than controls (49.3 % vs. 3.7 %; p < .001). Half (55.5 %) of those screened were eligible for HAMS, primarily observational studies. Nine out of ten found eligible enrolled (91.7 %), almost all into observational studies (95.2 %), compared to no enrollments among controls. Achieving appropriate representation of AABH-PLHA in HAMS necessitates modification of study inclusion criteria to increase the proportion found eligible for therapeutic HAMS, in addition to social/behavioral interventions.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • Health Promotion
  • Healthcare Disparities*
  • Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Screening / statistics & numerical data*
  • Middle Aged
  • Minority Health*
  • Patient Selection*
  • Peer Group*
  • United States / epidemiology