Clinical Trials for HIV Vaccines Now Using
Social Media to Attract Trial Participants
Facebook, Craigslist, Blogs and Twitter the Latest Ways to Reach Out
to the People One Study Needs-- Gay, HIV-negative Men Actively Engaged
in Risky Sexual Behaviors
SEATTLE/PRNewswire/ -- Newswise -- Clinic sites in 13
cities across the U.S. are looking for a total of 1,350 HIV-negative gay
men to participate in the latest HIV vaccine study from the HIV Vaccine
Trials Network (HVTN). And they're using social media to help reach
these individuals where they are, which, these days, is increasingly
online.
The HVTN, internationally headquartered at Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center in Seattle, is running a series of ads on Facebook,
seeking men who are interested in men and who live in or near one of the
cities with clinics; and a much edgier and more provocative one placed
on online gay hook-up sites to help bring in interested individuals
network-wide to a website for more information. These online ads
integrate with standard media pieces such as transit ads, posters, and
giveaways such as condoms, palm cards, yo-yos and coasters.
One site, the Fenway Health Vaccine Studies clinic in Boston, has
folded Craigslist into its mix of successful recruitment venues--in
addition to community events, in-person outreach at traditional gay
venues such as bars, and advertising. Coco Cuizon-Alinsug, one of
Fenway's recruiters for HIV vaccine clinical trials, spends hours each
week reading personal ads on Craigslist and inviting individuals who
appear to fit the target profile to consider participating in a trial.
He's become adept at finding and recognizing these individuals, based on
the information contained in their ads, especially indicators of
specific sexual behaviors. Specifically, as he doesn't have extra time
or funding, he responds to those ads that describe risky behavior -such
as looking for a partner to be a bareback Top to their Bottom,
Cuizon-Alinsug replies to these personal ads with language approved by
Fenway's IRB (Institutional Review Board), inviting the advertiser to
learn more about HIV vaccine clinical trials at the clinic, with the web
address for the clinic and an email address to reply to. Like
street/bar-centered recruiting, it takes a lot of outreach (sometimes to
hundreds of people) before one man comes to the clinic for screening.
One man already participating in an HIV vaccine clinical trial is
blogging about his experience at the HVTN site at Vanderbilt University
Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee (in the Bible Belt) to those most
at risk of being infected by HIV. 'The Accidental Activist' is Andrew
Prislovsky 's blog about his experience as a participant in the trial.
He is blogging - after thinking long and carefully about what it might
mean to go so public with his messages -in the hopes of inspiring others
in the community to consider participating in a clinical trial, and to
help educate the public about the need for a vaccine to prevent HIV
infection.
In Birmingham, Alabama one participant came 60 miles from Tuscaloosa
to be screened to participate in the latest HIV vaccine trial at the
University of Alabama, only to find out he's ineligible because he's had
a particular cold virus in the past (and this particular vaccine study,
HVTN 505, needs participants who don't have the antibody to that cold
virus in their blood).
Not to be denied his chance to champion the cause, however, he --
Edward Todd -- took it upon himself to start a Facebook Group to spread
the word about the need for trial participants. Over the first two
months, he reached almost 1,200 followers -mainly college students--who
look to the Facebook page for the latest information about the clinical
trial. Six of those followers have already enrolled in the study.
This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more
information, visit http://www.newswise.com/.
Media Contacts:
Cheryl Stumbo
HIV Vaccine Trials Network
206-667-1597
Source: HIV Vaccine Trials Network
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