Peer-Driven Intervention to Enroll Minorities/Women in HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials (the ACT2 Project)

• Participation in screening for AIDS clinical trials to the point of determining eligibility, coded as yes/no. [ Time Frame: within the participant's 52 week follow up period ]
  During interventions, participants in both arms receive contact information for local AIDS clinical trials units. Two sources of data are used to determine whether screening occurred. First, for participants screened at Beth Israel Medical Center, the study's main collaborating site, the screener notes the screening event in a participant status file. Second, during follow-up interviews at 16 and 52 weeks post-baseline, participants' screening experiences at other units are assessed. This self-reported screening is confirmed with the clinical trials units (all screening reports are verified).
  
  

• Enrollment into an AIDS clinical trial or HIV/AIDS biomedical research study [ Time Frame: within the participant's 52 week follow-up period ]
  Two sources of data are used to determine whether enrollment occurred. First, for participants screened at Beth Israel Medical Center, the study's main collaborating site, study staff confirms participation in the trial with participants and trials units and log this in a participant status file. Second, during follow-up interviews at 16 and 52 weeks post-baseline, enrollment in studies and trials is assessed. This self-reported enrollment is confirmed with the clinical trials units (all enrollment reports are verified).
  
  

According to a 2001 report by the U.S. Census Bureau, African Americans and Latinos make up 65% of all AIDS cases reported in the United States, yet they make up only 25% of the population in the United States. In addition, the number of women living with HIV/AIDS, many of whom are minorities, is rapidly increasing. ACTs are research studies designed to evaluate new therapies to fight HIV infection and prevent and treat opportunistic infections and cancers associated with AIDS. Preliminary research suggests that intensive intervention efforts are needed to improve rates of screening and to enroll more racial/ethnic minorities and women in ACTs. The purpose of this study is to identify effective intervention strategies to increase the low number of HIV infected racial/ethnic minorities and women who are screened for and enrolled into ACTs.

Each participant will be enrolled in the study for 12 months. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control arm. Initial "seed" participants in the intervention arm will complete a peer-driven intervention consisting of four structured intervention sessions lasting 6 hours in total (occurring every week for 4 weeks), three peer education/recruitment experiences, and brief liaison contacts by an intervention facilitator during AIDS clinical trial screening. Participants in the control arm will complete a time-matched health education intervention lasting 6 hours. Participants in the control arm will also receive the community standard of care and be referred to their local ACT unit. Peer participants will be recruited by either a seed or through general recruitment; those recruited by an initial seed will participate in the same arm as the see d who recruited them. Study visits will occur throughout the study. Participants in the intervention arm will complete an interview at Week 30. At Weeks 8, 16 and 52, all participants will complete social impact assessments. At Weeks 16 and 52, all participants will complete follow-up visits.