P42.08
Background: Willingness to participate in clinical trials is a crucial element in recruitment of suitable participants for intervention trials. Measuring willingness to participate helps determine community preparedness for clinical trials. Researchers in the USA developed a Clinical Research Involvement Scale (CRIS) assessing willingness to participate modelled on the Theory of Reasoned Action.
Methods: This study aimed to determine racial differences in willingness to participate and explore potential factors associated with willingness to participate in HIV prevention research using the CRIS. The CRIS was administered online with a demographic questionnaire to university students aged 18–45 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Associations between willingness to participate and age, gender, relationship status, parity, religion, education status, student status, employment status and access to private health care were examined.
Results: The study enrolled 636 participants, two thirds being female. After data cleaning a sample of 509 was considered for analysis. Results indicated that all students across all race groups were willing to participate in HIV prevention research. However, there was a statistically significant difference in factors affecting willingness of participate. Based on the differences amongst these factors, Black students expressed greater intention to participate compared to White and Indian students. Racial differences in factors that affect willingness to participate indicate differences in risk perception and seeking access to better quality healthcare.
Conclusions: The CRIS is a reliable instrument in this population; however in its current structure it does not show strong validity. Validity improved if factors of motivation to comply and outcome evaluations were removed. The CRIS should be used in other populations to assess its validity.
