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Abstract #157043

David Edward Garcia, MPH¹, Kimberly Louis, BA¹, and Karen E. Mark, MD MPH². (1) Seattle HIV Vaccine Trials Unit, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 901 Boren Ste 1320, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-667-2300, dgarci@milwaukee.gov, (2) Div. of Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Medicine, University of Washington, 901 Boren Ste 1320, Seattle, WA 98104

Rationale: Recruitment efforts for clinical trials have always required creative yet culturally appropriate techniques to effectively target specific populations. A process evaluation of the recruitment of high risk MSM into a Phase IIb HIV vaccine trial was done at the Seattle HIV Vaccine Trials Unit (S-HVTU). Methods: All individuals that contact the S-HVTU are pre-screened over the telephone and then screened in person by a clinician to ensure eligibility. All contacts who seek information and who may enroll are documented and recorded into an on-site database. Potential volunteers are asked, “How did you hear about the S-HVTU?” to document recruitment efficacy. Recruitment efforts successfully recruited 117 high risk MSM over 22 months who enrolled in the Phase IIb trial. Of the 117 who enrolled, 35 (30%) were recruited from print ads, 30 (26%) from outreach workers at local MSM bars, bathhouses and bookstores, 26 (22%) from internet banners, chats, and classified ads, 14 (12%) by friend or community-based organization referral, and 12 (10%) from stories in local newspapers, radio interviews, flyers, and presentations. Lessons Learned: High risk MSM who enrolled in this Phase IIb vaccine study were recruited via a number of different recruitment methods. Effective social marketing targeting high risk MSM needs to be MSM culturally appropriate and multi faceted. Budgetary constraints in future studies may create a need to more closely examine the cost-effectiveness of different strategies.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will understand the importance of using a multi-faceted recruitment approach to effectively target high risk MSM for enrollment into clinical trials.
• Individuals will learn the vital role of creating MSM culturally appropriate messages to recruit high risk MSM. Successful examples will be shown, including print and radio advertisements, web banners, and peer outreach recruitment efforts. 3.. Participants will identify successful social marketing techniques targeting high risk MSM that can be adapted for their own health education risk reduction models and clinical trials recruitment.

Keywords: Gay Men, Social Marketing

Related Web page: www.seattlevaccines.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.