Microbicide/Female Condom Acceptability for Sex Workers

描述(由申请人提供)：我们寻求艾滋病-FIRCA资金，以补充微生物剂的可接受性，以预防高危妇女的艾滋病毒(R01 MH63631)。这项补充研究将由康涅狄格州哈特福德社区研究所的一个国际研究团队与北京协和医学院流行病学系的廖苏苏博士合作进行，中国博士将在海南省和广西省的三个中等城镇工作，目标是艾滋病毒/性传播疾病的高危女性性工作者。它将审查他们使用杀微生物剂产品和女用避孕套预防艾滋病毒/性传播疾病的准备程度，影响他们尝试或采用这种方法的意愿的因素，以及他们在减少包括艾滋病毒在内的性传播疾病的替代方法中选择的理由。这项研究将：1)在中国南方三个农村和半城市的城镇，调查中国高危女性性工作者对杀微生物剂预防方法和女用避孕套的准备情况和可接受性；2)找出中国南方环境中影响杀微生物剂/女用避孕套可接受性的背景因素，包括民族/文化信仰、同伴规范、个人风险背景(卖淫、移民、虐待伴侣)、经济条件、社会环境、伴侣和伴侣关系以及对生殖的担忧；3)评估中国高危女性性工作者愿意和/或能够在与其主要、临时和/或有偿性伴侣的常规性行为中使用阴道杀菌剂(以凝胶形式)预防艾滋病毒的条件；4)评估中国高危女性性工作者在与其主要、临时和/或有偿性伴侣的定期性行为中愿意和/或能够使用女性避孕套预防艾滋病毒的条件；5)建立国际研究合作、基础设施和基础，以便在中国南部这三个城镇的女性性工作者中开展更大规模的杀菌剂和女用避孕套可接受性和采用率研究。目标人群将包括300名女性性工作者(三个研究地点各100名)，大约80%是汉族人，20%是少数民族(特别是黎族)。我们将使用定性(启发式技术、半结构化访谈)和定量(堆积分类、排序、调查)相结合的方法来评估目标人群中杀微生物剂/女性避孕套的准备情况和可接受性。在头3个月，我们将参观和审查这三个研究地点，并会见当地的合作者。第一年的剩余时间将集中在第一个地点的研究；开发工具、材料和方案；培训当地工作人员样本招募、研究方法和数据分析；以及收集和分析数据。在第二年，我们将在第二年和第三年，在第三年，在第三个地点复制在第一个地点进行的工作。在项目的最后6个月，我们将完成数据分析和干预计划，以推广女性避孕套和/或杀菌剂，用于后续研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We seek AIDS-FIRCA funds to supplement the Microbicide Acceptability to Prevent HIV in High-risk Women (R01 MH63631). This supplemental study will be conducted by an international research team from the Institute for Community Research in Hartford, CT, in collaboration with Dr. Susu Liao from the Department of Epidemiology, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), in Beijing, China, to work in three mid-sized towns in Hainan and Guangxi Provinces, targeting female sex workers at high risk of HIV/STDs. It will examine their level of preparedness for using microbicide products and the female condom for HIV/STD prevention, the factors that affect their willingness to try or adopt such methods, and their reasons for choosing among alternative approaches to reducing STDs including HIV. This study will: 1) examine readiness for and acceptability of microbicide prevention methods and the female condom among Chinese female sex workers at high risk of contracting or transmitting HIV through unprotected sex in three southern Chinese rural and semi-urban towns; 2) identify contextual factors in the southern Chinese setting that affect acceptability of microbicides/female condoms, including ethnic/cultural beliefs, peer norms, personal risk context (prostitution, migration, abusive partners), economic conditions, social settings, partners and partner relationships, and concern for reproduction; 3) assess conditions under which high-risk Chinese female sex workers will be willing and/or able to use a vaginal microbicide (in a gel form) for HIV prevention during their regular sexual activity with their primary, casual, and/or paying sex partners; 4) assess conditions under which high-risk Chinese female sex workers will be willing and/or able to use a female condom for HIV prevention during their regular sexual activity with their primary, casual, and/or paying sex partners; and 5) establish an international research collaboration, infrastructure, and foundation for conducting a larger study of microbicide and female condom acceptability and adoption for HIV/STD prevention among female sex workers in these three towns in southern China. The target population will include 300 female sex workers (100 from each of three study sites), and will be approximately 80% Han Chinese and 20% minority ethnic groups (especially Li). We will use a combination of qualitative (elicitation techniques, semi-structured interviews) and quantitative (pile sorting, ranking, survey) methods to assess microbicide/female condom readiness and acceptability in the target populations. In the first 3 months, we will visit and review the three study sites and meet local collaborators. The rest of Year 1 will focus on research in Site 1; developing instruments, materials, and protocols; training local staff in sample recruitment, research methods, and data analysis; and collecting and analyzing data. In year 2, we will work in Site 2 and in Year 3, in Site 3 to replicate the work conducted in Site 1. In the last 6 months of the project we will finalize data analyses and an intervention program to promote the female condom and/or microbicides for a subsequent study.