Factors Associated with Willingness to Participate in HIV Vaccine Trials among High-Risk Populations in South India

Abstract

Successful conduct of any HIV vaccine trial (HIVVT) requires a high level of preparedness in the community. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tamilnadu, India among 501 participants from six different risk groups to investigate their willingness to participate (WTP) in future preventive HIVVTs and to explore their knowledge and attitude toward preventive HIV vaccines. In total, 82% were willing to participate and the desire to be protected from HIV was the main reason for WTP. Perception of not being at risk was the major reason for refusal among married women. The knowledge scale showed a significant increase in scores after vaccine education. In all, 76% revealed the hope that there would be an effective vaccine in a few years and 71% hoped that the HIV vaccine would protect them from HIV infection. The main concern was the unknown efficacy of the vaccine (50%) and the effects of an HIV vaccine on participants' lives (51%). Overall, 76% agreed that sex without a condom would not be safe whether or not there was an HIV vaccine. To conclude, it is likely that high-risk volunteers will be willing to enroll in preventive HIVVTs. Addressing barriers and concerns by providing information through appropriate agencies will spell out success for preventive HIVVTs in India.

Willingness to participate in HIV vaccine trials among men who have sex with men in Chennai and Mumbai, India

“…WTP among MSM in the latter study, however, was significantly lower than that among other key populations at risk (e.g., female sex workers, STI clinic attendees) [14]. The vaccine trial characteristic with the greatest impact on WTP was distance to the trial site.…”

“…The few WTP studies conducted in India [13][14][15][16] provide limited information due to small samples of MSM subsumed in larger studies of vulnerable groups and lack of exploration of what may be population-specific phenomena among MSM in the Indian context. Diversity within MSM communities in India, including by socioeconomic status and sexual self-identification [17], further suggest the need to explore potential subpopulation differences in WTP and trial-related concerns.…”

Willingness to participate in HIV vaccine efficacy trials among high risk men and women from fishing communities along Lake Victoria in Uganda

“…For any future clinical trials conducted in the fishing communities there will be need to reinforce counselling messages on the possibility of the trial vaccine not being protective. Although altruism is frequently cited as a motivator for participation among other high risk populations, [22,25–28], this was not the case for our study. Personal health gains outweighed altruism perhaps due to the limited access to high quality services.…”

An update on human immunodeficiency virus vaccine preparedness studies

“…The types of questionnaires utilized with regards to WTP were mainly interviewer-administered questionnaires, found in nine studies (Asiki et al, 2013;Deschamps et al, 2013;Kiwanuka et al, 2013;Middelkoop et al, 2008;Newman et al, 2014;Olanrewaju et al, 2014;Otwombe et al, 2011;Ruzagira et al, 2009;Suhadev et al, 2009) (Table S1). Two studies utilized a self-administered questionnaire (Chariyalertsak et al, 2011;de Bruyn et al, 2008;C.…”