HIV vaccine trials: will intravenous drug users enroll?

Abstract

OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this study was to assess the willingness of intravenous drug users to participate in a preventive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine efficacy trial. METHODS. Of the 347 intravenous drug users in methadone treatment who were approached for participation, 257 completed a battery of self-administered questionnaires assessing risk behaviors, interest in vaccine trials, and other vaccine-related information. Data from 16 known seropositives and 1 inconsistent responder were dropped from analyses (n = 240). RESULTS. Fifty-two percent of the subjects expressed a willingness to be one of the first individuals to participate in a preventive HIV vaccine efficacy trial. Subjects who had recently shared needles or works and subjects who trusted the government to ensure vaccine safety were both twice as likely to report interest in participation. Twenty-two percent of subjects reported that they would increase needle sharing if vaccinated. Thirty percent did not know what a vaccine was. CONCLUSIONS. These findings suggest that some in-treatment intravenous drug users would volunteer for a preventive HIV vaccine efficacy trial. Education and counseling will be required to ensure that subjects fully understand the trial's purposes, methods, risks and benefits.

Changes in Willingness to Participate in HIV Vaccine Trials Among HIV-Negative Injection Drug Users

“…However, incentives alone are likely not sufficient to determine participation in a vaccine trial. Research by our group and others suggests that other factors play an important role in one's willingness to participate, such as: perception of vaccine effectiveness, fear of a positive HIV test result, operational aspects such as convenience, and vaccine safety (Buchbinder et al, 2004;Koblin et al, 1998;Meyers et al, 1994;Strauss et al, 2001;Vlahov et al, 1994).…”

“…These studies have reported increased WTP associated with high-risk behavior (Buchbinder et al, 2004;Koblin et al, 1998;Meyers et al, 1994;Vlahov et al, 1994), younger age of initiation of injection , high perceived threat of HIV infection , lack of medical insurance (Koblin et al, 1998), having at least some college education (Buchbinder et al, 2004), and high knowledge about HIV and HIV vaccines (Koblin et al, 2000).…”

Effect of race/ethnicity on participation in HIV vaccine trials and comparison to other trials of biomedical prevention

“…The sample size of Whites from earlier studies spanning from 1994-2000 was higher: IDU (37-65%) 34,[38][39][40] ; MSM (68-95%) 33,34,38,[41][42][43] ; and WAHR-IDU (44%). 34 However, an exception to the results of these earlier studies was one study in WAHR in 1998, which consisted of 18% Whites.…”

Socioeconomic status and HIV vaccine preparedness studies in North America

“…In one study in MSM that stratified by age, 88.5% of young men and 89.9% of older men had a >HS educational level [17]. In IDU including methadone maintenance patients, those with a <HS educational level ranged from 37% to 74% [11,13,15,18,19]; in WAHR, the range was 47% to 49% [15,20]; in WAHR-IDU, 34% had <HS educational level [15].…”