Motivators of enrolment in HIV vaccine trials: a review of HIV vaccine preparedness studies

Abstract

HIV vaccine preparedness studies (VPS) are important precursors to HIV vaccine trials. As well, they contribute to an understanding of motivators and barriers for participation in hypothetical HIV vaccine trials. Motivators can take the form of altruism and a desire for social benefits. Perceived personal benefits, including psychological, personal, and financial well-being, may also motivate participation. The authors performed a systematic review of HIV VPS using the Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews, Medline, PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar. The authors independently searched the literature for individual HIV VPS that examined motivators of participation in a hypothetical HIV vaccine trial, using the same search strategy. As the denominators employed in the literature varied across studies, the denominators were standardized to the number of respondents per survey item, regardless of their willingness to participate (WTP) in an HIV vaccine trial. The authors retrieved eight studies on social benefits (i.e., altruism) and 11 studies on personal benefits conducted in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, as well as 19 studies on social benefits and 20 studies on personal benefits in the non-OECD countries. Various different forms of altruism were found to be the major motivators for participation in an HIV vaccine trial in both the OECD and the non-OECD countries. In a large number of studies, protection from HIV was cited as a personal motivator for participation in a hypothetical HIV vaccine trial in the OECD and the non-OECD countries. Knowledge of motivators can inform and target recruitment for HIV vaccine trials, although it must be remembered that hypothetical motivators may not always translate into motivators in an actual vaccine trial.

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

“…Common barriers to WTP include fear of vaccine-induced infection, and concerns about vaccine-induced seropositivity and possible side effects [10][11][12]. Motivators of WTP include altruism, free healthcare, and financial incentives [9,12].…”

“…HIV vaccine trial preparedness investigations in low-, middle-and high-income countries, synthesized in several systematic reviews, have assessed willingness to participate (WTP) in clinical trials [9][10][11]. Studies have focused predominantly on individual knowledge, attitudes and perceptions associated with WTP, in order to inform educational initiatives and interventions designed to engage participating communities and recruit trial volunteers.…”

Experiences in recruiting volunteers through community based initiatives in Phase-1 vaccine trials in India

“…Altruism has been reported to be the main motivator for participation in HIV vaccine trials both in the OECD (Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the non-OECD countries the world over. 7,34,35 Altruism was one of the major reasons for participation in Indian HIV vaccine trials as well, 7 and no regional differences were Box 1. Gender training is critical for the research team to understand gender relevant issues in the trials Need for gender training-a case at Pune site mrs. Surbhi*, a middle-aged social worker showed keen interest in contributing to the social cause by participating in the vaccine trial.…”

Vaccine Marketing

“…As Weinreb ( 2011 ) argues, "getting vaccinated … is just another important social responsibility." Altruism has been found to be an important motivator for participation in HIV vaccine trials, in addition to personal benefi ts (Balfour et al 2010 ;Dhalla and Poole 2011 ).…”