title: 'Team up against TB': promoting involvement in Thibela TB, a trial of community-wide tuberculosis preventive therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe a programme of community education and mobilization to promote uptake in a cluster-randomized trial of tuberculosis preventive therapy offered to all members of intervention clusters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gold mines in South Africa, where tuberculosis incidence is extremely high, despite conventional control measures. All employees in intervention clusters (mine shaft and associated hostel) were invited to enrol.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cumulative enrolment in the study in intervention clusters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Key steps in communicating information relevant to the study included extensive consultation with key stakeholders; working with a communication company to develop a project 'brand'; developing a communication strategy tailored to each intervention site; and involving actors from a popular television comedy series to help inform communities about the study. One-to-one communications used peer educators along with study staff, and participant advisory groups facilitated two-way communication between study staff and participants. By contrast, treatment 'buddies' and text messaging to promote adherence proved less successful. Mean cumulative enrolment in the first four intervention clusters was 61.9%, increasing to 83.0% in the final four clusters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A tailored communication strategy can facilitate a high level of enrolment in a community health intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK. alison.grant@lshtm.ac.uk
authors.forename: Alison D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Leonie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coetzee
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Fielding
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Smanga
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ntshele
authors.forename: Mariëtha M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Luttig
authors.forename: Kathryn T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Mngadi
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.forename: Flora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Popane
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mdluli
authors.forename: Nkosinathi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mngadi
authors.forename: Clement
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sefuthi
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Churchyard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015497:HIV-1; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007538:Isoniazid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D016730:Program Development; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D013019:South Africa; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D007538:Isoniazid