Magnus Manya, Franks Julie, Griffith Sam, Arnold Michael P, Goodman Krista, Wheeler Darrell P
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, District of Columbia (Dr Magnus); ICAP, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York (Dr Franks); FHI 360, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (Mr Griffith); San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, California (Dr Arnold); Project ACHIEVE/New York Blood Center, New York, New York (Ms Goodman); and Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Wheeler). Dr Arnold is now with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington. Ms Goodman is now with Gilead Sciences, Foster City, California.
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2014 Nov-Dec;20(6):E1-9. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000000025.
HIV/AIDS in the United States continues to primarily impact men who have sex with men (MSM), with disproportionately high rates among black MSM.
The purpose of this study was to identify factors that may influence engagement and retention of black MSM in HIV research.
This was a qualitative evaluation of study implementation within a multisite, prospective, observational study (HIV Prevention Trials Network 061, BROTHERS) that enrolled 1553 black MSM in 6 cities throughout the United States. Data collection for this evaluation included a written, structured survey collected from each of the sites describing site characteristics including staff and organizational structure, reviews of site standard operating procedures, and work plans; semistructured key informant interviews were conducted with site coordinators to characterize staffing, site-level factors facilitating or impeding effective community engagement, study recruitment, and retention. Data from completed surveys and site standard operating procedures were collated, and notes from key informant interviews were thematically coded for content by 2 independent reviewers.
Several key themes emerged from the data, including the importance of inclusion of members of the community being studied as staff, institutional hiring practices that support inclusive staffing, cultivating a supportive working environment for study implementation, and ongoing relationships between research institutions and community.
This study underscores the importance of staffing in implementing research with black MSM. Investigators should consider how staffing and organizational structures affect implementation during study design and when preparing to initiate study activities. Ongoing monitoring of community engagement can inform and improve methods for engagement and ensure cultural relevance while removing barriers for participation.
美国的艾滋病毒/艾滋病仍然主要影响男男性行为者（MSM），在黑人男男性行为者中的发病率极高。
本研究的目的是确定可能影响黑人男男性行为者参与和留在艾滋病毒研究中的因素。
这是一项对多中心前瞻性观察性研究（艾滋病毒预防试验网络061，兄弟项目）中研究实施情况的定性评估，该研究在美国6个城市招募了1553名黑人男男性行为者。本次评估的数据收集包括从每个研究地点收集的一份书面结构化调查问卷，描述研究地点的特征，包括工作人员和组织结构、研究地点标准操作程序的审查以及工作计划；对研究地点协调员进行了半结构化关键信息访谈，以描述人员配备情况、促进或阻碍有效社区参与、研究招募和保留的地点层面因素。对已完成调查问卷的数据和研究地点标准操作程序进行了整理，两名独立评审员对关键信息访谈的笔记进行了主题内容编码。
数据中出现了几个关键主题，包括将被研究社区的成员纳入工作人员队伍的重要性、支持包容性人员配备的机构招聘做法、为研究实施营造支持性工作环境以及研究机构与社区之间的持续关系。
本研究强调了在对黑人男男性行为者开展研究时人员配备的重要性。研究人员在研究设计期间以及准备启动研究活动时，应考虑人员配备和组织结构如何影响研究实施。对社区参与的持续监测可以为参与方法提供信息并加以改进，确保文化相关性，同时消除参与障碍。
