HIV-infected African Americans are willing to participate in HIV treatment trials.
BACKGROUND
Despite the high prevalence rates of HIV infection in the African-American community, African Americans remain underrepresented in HIV treatment trials.


OBJECTIVE
(1) To develop a questionnaire that measures attitudes and concerns about HIV treatment trials among HIV-infected African Americans at a university-based clinic. (2) To determine actual participation rates and willingness to participate in future HIV treatment trials among HIV-infected African Americans at a university-based clinic.


METHODS
Questionnaire development and cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
In a sample of 200 HIV-infected African-American adults receiving medical care at the Pittsburgh AIDS Center for Treatment (a university-based ambulatory clinic), we assessed research participation rates and willingness to participate in future HIV treatment trials, trust in the medical profession, sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes, and concerns about HIV treatment trials.


METHODS
Research participation rates and willingness to participate in future HIV treatment trials.


RESULTS
Only 57% of survey respondents had ever been asked to participate in an HIV treatment trial but 86% of those asked said yes. Prior research participation was significantly related to willingness to participate in future HIV treatment trials (P = .001). Contrary to previous studies, neither trust/distrust in the medical profession nor beliefs about the dishonesty of researchers was associated with research participation rates or willingness to participate in future HIV treatment trials.


CONCLUSIONS
Having never been asked to participate in research is a major barrier to the participation of HIV-infected African Americans in HIV treatment trials. African Americans who seek medical care for HIV infection should be asked to participate in HIV treatment trials.
Garber
Mandy
M
Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. mandig@pol.net
Hanusa
Barbara H
BH
Switzer
Galen E
GE
Mellors
John
J
Arnold
Robert M
RM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D044383:Black People; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D035842:Research Subjects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D001741:Black or African American