Decision-Making of Hispanics and African-Americans With HIV/AIDS Participating in Clinical Trials

The realities of health disparities are well documented. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a health crisis for African Americans and a serious threat to the Hispanic Community. In 2003, African Americans accounted for 50% of the new HIV/AIDS cases. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Brief, African Americans/Blacks make up 12.9% of the U.S. population and account for 40% of the 929,985 estimated AIDS cases. The U. S. Census Bureau also reports as of May 2001 Hispanics account for 12.5% of the population. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that Hispanics accounted for 13% of the new cases with an increase of 26% since 1999. As the numbers indicate, HIV/AIDS is a serious concern to both African Americans and Hispanics.

Additionally there is an underrepresentation of Hispanics and African Americans in clinical trials. It is critical that Hispanics and African Americans with HIV/AIDS be included in clinical trials. Minority underrepresentation in clinical trials prohibits generalizability of results and is of significant concern.

In this study, we propose examining the decision making processes of Hispanics and African Americans with HIV/AIDS around their decision to enter a clinical trial in an effort to develop a future instrument to measure decision making in this population. This is a descriptive, exploratory mixed methods study designed to examine the decision-making process among a convenience sample of minority patients who are enrolled in active HIV/AIDS protocols.

Through focus groups and in-depth interviews, participants will be asked about the factor(s) that influence their decision to participate in research. By asking the participants directly, we may gain a better understanding of their decision-making process. Obtaining these data may provide strategies for facilitating inclusion of Hispanics and African Americans with HIV/AIDS into clinical trials.