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Intervention increased black, Hispanic participation in HIV/AIDS clinical trials
Gwadz MV. Am J Public Health. 2011;101:1096-1102.
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A peer-driven intervention increased participation in HIV/AIDS clinical trials among blacks and Hispanics, according to new findings from the ACT2 Project trial.
“By participating in clinical trials, persons living with HIV/AIDS can access new treatments and may also receive a level of care and support not otherwise available to them,” the researchers wrote. “However, [minorities] are under-represented in such trials. People enter AIDS clinical trials through a screening process to determine eligibility, and screening is therefore a critical gateway to accessing clinical trials.”
For the randomized controlled trial, Marya Viorst Gwadz, PhD, senior research scientist at New York University College of Nursing, and colleagues set out to assess the use of a peer-driven intervention to increase screening rates for AIDS clinical trials among black and Hispanic patients living with HIV/AIDS.
Participants (n=342) were recruited between 2008 and 2009 (64.9% were black; 26.6% Hispanic). The intervention included 6 hours of structured activities and the opportunity to recruit and educate three peers about AIDS clinical trials. The control group included time- and attention-matched health education with 6 hours of structured activities, and participants were trained to recruit up to three peers, but not educate them.
Compared with the control arm, screening was more likely to occur in the intervention arm (adjusted OR=55; P<.001). In addition, 46% of participants in the intervention arm were screened vs. only 1.6% of controls. Those who were recruited by themselves and educated by peers had higher screening rates (adjusted OR=1.4; P<.05).
“The ACT2 intervention is acceptable, feasible, safe and highly efficacious,” Gwadz told Infectious Disease News. “We recommend that the ACT2 intervention be implemented in communities, community-based organizations, clinical trials sites and HIV clinics in urban areas that experience racial/ethnic disparities in AIDS clinical trials.”
Gwadz said a research proposal is currently in development to create and test an interactive computer-based version of the ACT2 intervention. “The ACT2 model is also being applied to cancer trial disparities and HIV treatment disparities.”
Disclosure: Dr. Gwadz reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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