A qualitative examination of reasons African American young women participate in an HIV risk reduction intervention

Background: Recruitment and retention in public health interventions are fundamental components of our research. This qualitative study sought to identify reasons young women consented to participate and continued to return for follow-up visits in an HIV risk reduction intervention study.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 African-American females (18-23 years) after participating in a demonstrated effective HIV prevention intervention. All participants completed at least one post-intervention assessment. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically coded.

Results: Young women mentioned consenting to participate because of the financial incentive and free STD testing and treatment. However, money was less of an incentive after their first session. Reasons for retention included free testing/treatment, condoms, as well as having group sessions where health educators and other group members were non-judgmental, open, and considerate. Women enjoyed the opportunity to give/receive advice to/from other group members, as well as engaging in hands-on activities, role-playing, and watching realistic and relevant videos. They also reported feeling confident and proud to share information learned in the intervention with women in their lives.

Conclusion: Although money was a prominent reason women consented to participate in the study, money became less of a factor as they continued to participate. Upon completing the study, multiple women suggested the workshop could be done without financial incentive and although the study had ended, expressed a desire for the program to continue. Future intervention research may consider reducing the monetary incentives after the initial visit, opting to invest additional funds into programming.