Women are often underrepresented in HIV clinical trials, making it difficult to decipher the relevance of findings and whether they are applicable to all.

Coinciding with National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, new data published today in the Taylor & Francis journal HIV Clinical Trials uncovers how an evidence-based campaign, Follow YOUR Heart, is empowering older women with HIV to participate in a large-scale clinical trial aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease, the REPRIEVE trial.

Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers Dr Sara Looby and Dr. Markella Zanni uncovered women's preferred methods for learning about a trial were peer-to-peer communication (52% of those questioned), provider communication (46%) and video-based communication (39%). Women were most likely to take part to gain information (63%) and to help others (47%).

Dr. Looby and Dr. Zanni commented: "Feedback from our community sample of women offered valuable perspectives on methods to help educate and engage women with HIV on research participation, making our Follow YOUR Heart campaign truly patient-centered."

More information: Markella V. Zanni et al. Follow YOUR Heart: development of an evidence-based campaign empowering older women with HIV to participate in a large-scale cardiovascular disease prevention trial, HIV Clinical Trials (2017). DOI: 10.1080/15284336.2017.1297551

Provided by Taylor & Francis