Modelling the factors influencing willingness to participate in hiv-l vaccine and microbicide trial: a case studyof Mathare perinatal city council clinic

Abstract

The study evaluates the suitability of women participating In perinatal HIV-l prevention program for HIV-l vaccine and microbicide trials, willingness to participate in trials and knowledge of current performance of vaccines in in general and the future HIV vaccine performance. Followup among HIV-l uninfected women after delivery was done for a a period of upto 1 year. Using participants in perinatal HIV-l prevention trials for vaccine and microbicide studies possed several advantages as it provides an adquate infrastructure and easy follow-up, its a high-risk cohort (group) and that women participating in Prevention of Mother- To-Child Transmission programs are more representative of reproductive birth giving cohort with a higher risk of infection. The study entails finding a suitable odered logistic regression model which relates willingness to the factors influencing it and responses on willingness were utilized in predicting a sub-set of participants likely to be involved in the uptake and the subsequent participation of vaccinejmicrobicides vaccine. At enrollment a total of 797 participants were interviewed and their willingness to participate was assessed through a face-to-face questionnaire and a follow-up for upto 1 year done. There was consistently high knowledge on the ~IV prevention methods among the study participants. However, knowledge on vaccines in general and on future HIV vaccines was relatively low. Willingness to participate in the HIV vaccines was very high (> 80%) of the study participants citing willingness to participant in HIV vaccine trials over the follow-up period. On running an Ordered regr~s~ion model, effectiveness and side-effects of the current vaccines were significant in modelling willingness to participate in the vaccine trials. The performance of the current vaccines is still key to future vaccine develoQme~s and their side-effects need to be minimized for better results and enhanced participation in future vaccine trials.