BEHAVIORAL-STUDIES RELEVANT TO VACCINE TRIAL PREPARATION - AN INTRODUCTION

Preparations for large-scale trials to test the efficacy of candidate HIV vaccines can benefit in several crucial ways from a targeted progr am of behavioral and social research. Randomized field experiments tes ting alternative procedures for the recruitment and retention of subje cts can help identify research procedures that will ensure adequate sa mple sizes while minimizing sample attrition over time. Similarly, ass uring that subjects accurately comprehend the potential risks of parti cipation will require more than simply presenting scientifically accur ate information. Ensuring both the adequacy and appropriateness of ris k communications as well as the accuracy of subject perception of risk s (across the social and cultural milieux in which vaccine trials will be undertaken) is a critical task. Ethnographic and behavioral studie s can help to ensure that our obligation to obtain truly informed cons ent from our research subjects is fully met and documented. Monitoring risk behaviors over the course of the vaccine trials could also benef it from strategic investments in new technologies developed by social researchers to permit the collection of sensitive personal data while affording complete privacy to subjects. These new measurement technolo gies include procedures that permit private data collection (without a human interviewer) in any spoken language and without requiring that subjects be literate.