Recruiting Minority Men Who Have Sex With Men for HIV Research: Results From a 4-City Campaign

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) 2006-06, Vol.96 (6), p.1020-1027
• Main Authors: Silvestre, Anthony J, Hylton, John B, Johnson, Lisette M, Houston, Carmoncelia, Witt, Mallory, Jacobson, Lisa, Ostrow, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; African Americans - psychology; AIDS; Attitude to Health - ethnology; Biological and medical sciences; Black people; Clinical trials; College professors; Community; Ethnicity; Experiments; Health hazards; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic Americans - psychology; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - ethnology; Homosexuality, Male - ethnology; Homosexuality, Male - psychology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Infectious diseases; Information Dissemination; Interviews; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical research; Medical sciences; Minority Groups - psychology; Miscellaneous; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Participation; Patient Selection; Public health; Public Health Matters; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Questionnaires; R&D; Research & development; Research Design; Researchers; Sexual behavior; Sexual orientation; Social Isolation; Studies; Trust; United States - epidemiology; Urban Health; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.072801

We describe the efforts of a 4-city campaign to recruit Black and Hispanic men who have sex with men into an established HIV epidemiological study. The campaign used community organizing principles and a social marketing model that focused on personnel, location, product, costs and benefits, and promotion. The campaign was developed at the community, group, and individual levels to both increase trust and reduce barriers.The proportion of Hispanic men recruited during the 2002-2003 campaign doubled compared with the 1987 campaign, and the proportion and number of White men decreased by 20%. The proportion of Black men decreased because of the large increase in Hispanic men, although the number of Black men increased by 56%. Successful recruitment included training recruitment specialists, involving knowledgeable minority community members during planning, and having an accessible site with convenient hours.