Balancing collective responsibility, individual opportunities and risks: a qualitative study on how police officers reason around volunteering in an HIV vaccine trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Tarimo, Edith A. M.; Thorson, Anna; Kohi, Thecla W.; Mwami, Joachim; Bakari, Muhammad; Sandström, Eric; Kulane, Asli

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-292

Cited by 16 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Conversely, in the present study, the discouragement from the parents was the possibility that their sons could die because of enrolling in the trial and end the dependence chain. This fear signifies the importance of young men for the aging parents in a Tanzanian context as stated earlier by potential volunteers for a phase I and II HIV vaccine trial [13]. Partly, the fear could also be fuelled by experiences of death of young adults due to AIDS in sub-Saharan African countries [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reasons for Declining to Enroll in a Phase I and II HIV Vaccine Trial after Randomization among Eligible Volunteers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

et al. 2011

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundRecruitment, enrollment and retention of volunteers in an HIV vaccine trial is important in the efforts to ultimately develop a vaccine that can prevent new HIV infections. Following recruitment, some randomized individuals decline to be enrolled in an HIV vaccine trial. The reasons for such a decision are not well known. This article describes why individuals who were randomized in a phase I and II HIV vaccine trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania declined to be enrolled.MethodsFace-to-face interviews were conducted with 14 individuals (7 men and 7 women). Repeated readings of the 14 interview transcripts to look for reasons for declining to enroll in the trial were performed. Data was analyzed using the content analysis approach.ResultsInformants expressed fear of the outcome of an experimental HIV vaccine in their lives. Unlike women, some men were concerned over the effect of the vaccine on their reproduction intentions. Women were concerned about the unknown effects of the vaccine in their bodies. Also, to a large extent, informants faced resistance from significant others such as fiancées, parents, relatives, and friends. Women were influenced by their potential intimate sexual partners; men were forbidden by their parents, and mothers had the most influential opinion.ConclusionsFear of the negative outcome of an experimental vaccine and resistance from significant others are the main reasons for declining to enroll in the HIV vaccine trial among eligible volunteers after randomization. The resistance from the significant others provides valuable guidance for designing future trials in Tanzania; for example, expanding the HIV vaccine trial education to the general population from the onset of the trial design.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reasons for Declining to Enroll in a Phase I and II HIV Vaccine Trial after Randomization among Eligible Volunteers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

et al. 2011

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Taking into account the hierarchical nature of operations in the police force, one would have assumed some difficulty in ensuring confidentiality and volunteerism in HIV-related studies among the police officers. However, previous studies had shown that police officers can make independent informed decisions to take part in HIV-related studies that have support of higher police authorities [8,13,15]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was an explorative study conducted in a sub-group of police officers who had signed up for an HIV and AIDS education workshop [13]. Of the 408 police officers who had signed up for the workshop, 346 attended.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the conduct of a phase I/II HIV vaccine trial requires volunteers at low risk of getting HIV infection, we conducted an explorative study to assess what could hinder the police officers from enrolling in the HIVIS-03 trial. The results from the explorative study showed that potential volunteers were concerned about the effects of an experimental vaccine on their sexual practices, suggesting the possibility of the officers becoming less careful about their sexual behaviour during the experiment [13]. Data are presented here to illustrate how the police officers viewed the problem of HIV and AIDS, in their local context, particularly the problem of unsafe sexual practices as related to institutional practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A qualitative study of perceived risk for HIV transmission among police officers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

et al. 2013

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundUnderstanding people’s views about HIV transmission by investigating a specific population may help to design effective HIV prevention strategies. In addition, knowing the inherent sexual practices of such a population, as well as the risky circumstances that may facilitate HIV transmission, is crucial for the said strategies to become effective. In this article, we report how police officers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, perceived the problem of HIV and AIDS in their local context, particularly in relation to unsafe sexual practices. The study was done with the view to recommending ways by which HIV transmission could be minimised within the police force.MethodsThe study was conducted among members of the police force in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Eight focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted, with a total of 66 participants who were mixed in terms of age, gender, and marital status. Some of these were caregivers to patients with AIDS. Data were analysed using the interpretive description approach.ResultsThe participants believed that both individual sexual behaviour and work-related circumstances were sources of HIV infection. They also admitted that they were being tempted to engage in risky sexual practices because of the institutional rules that prohibit officers from getting married during their training and for three years after. Nevertheless, as members of the Police Force, they stressed the fact that the risky sexual behaviour that exposes them to HIV is not limited to the force; it is rather a common problem that is faced by the general population. However, they complained, the nature of their job exposes them to road accident victims, subjecting them further to possible infection, especially when they have to handle these road accident casualties without proper protective gear.ConclusionIndividual sexual behaviour and job-related circumstances are worth investigating if proper advice is to be given to the police regarding HIV prevention strategies. In order to improve the lives of these police officers, there is a need to review the existing institutional rules and practices to accommodate individual sexual needs. In addition, improving their working environment may minimize the risk of HIV transmission from handling casualties in emergency situations.

show abstract

“…Reasons for qualified persons refusing to participate extend to the social, psychological and emotional dimensions (48). Fear of negative biological outcomes, resistance from significant others, anticipated stigma and discrimination, concerns about behavioral disinhibition, and uncertainty about researcher intentions have been cited as reasons for declining participation in actual HIV vaccine trials [48-50]. A qualitative study among HIV vaccine research participants in Kenya highlighted the different factors men and women weigh in deciding upon study participation as well as the differing approaches to decision making.…”

Section: Social and Individual Behavior In The Hiv Epidemic And Prevementioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptual framework for behavioral and social science in HIV vaccine clinical research

Lau¹,

Swann

Singh

et al. 2011

Vaccine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

HIV vaccine clinical research occurs within a context where biomedical science and social issues are interlinked. Previous HIV vaccine research has considered behavioral and social issues, but often treated them as independent of clinical research processes. Systematic attention to the intersection of behavioral and social issues within a defined clinical research framework is needed to address gaps, such as those related to participation in trials, completion of trials, and the overall research experience. Rigorous attention to these issues at project inception can inform trial design and conduct by matching research approaches to the context in which trials are to be conducted. Conducting behavioral and social sciences research concurrent with vaccine clinical research is important because it can help identify potential barriers to trial implementation, as well as ultimate acceptance and dissemination of trial results. We therefore propose a conceptual framework for behavioral and social science in HIV vaccine clinical research and use examples from the behavioral and social science literature to demonstrate how the model can facilitate identification of significant areas meriting additional exploration. Standardized use of the conceptual framework could improve HIV vaccine clinical research efficiency and relevance.

show abstract

Balancing collective responsibility, individual opportunities and risks: a qualitative study on how police officers reason around volunteering in an HIV vaccine trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

Reasons for Declining to Enroll in a Phase I and II HIV Vaccine Trial after Randomization among Eligible Volunteers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Reasons for Declining to Enroll in a Phase I and II HIV Vaccine Trial after Randomization among Eligible Volunteers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

A qualitative study of perceived risk for HIV transmission among police officers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Conceptual framework for behavioral and social science in HIV vaccine clinical research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About