DESIGN AND BASE-LINE PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS EPIDEMIOLOGY RESEARCH (HER) STUDY - A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY OF HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS INFECTION IN US WOMEN

The prospective, multisite human immunodeficiency (HIV) Epidemiology R esearch Study was established to define the biologic, psychologic, and social effects of HIV infection on the health of US women. From 1993 to 1995, a total of 871 HIV-infected women and 439 demographically mat ched, uninfected women aged 16-55 years, half of whom reported injecti on drug use and half of whom reported only sexual risk behaviors, were recruited in four US cities. Two sites recruited primarily from medic al/drug therapy care settings, and two recruited from community source s. Women consented to biannual interviews; physical examination; blood , urine, and cervicovaginal specimen collection and repository; labora tory assays; and abstraction of outpatient and inpatient medical recor ds to document HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related diag noses. Retention was greater than 88% al. the third 6-month follow-up. Lower retention was associated with currently injecting drugs, not ha ving dependent children, and not being infected with HIV at enrollment . In addition to the core study, a variety of nested studies are under way, some in collaboration with other HIV cohorts and various Public Health Service agencies. This cohort is distinct from other HIV longit udinal cohorts in the diversity of its participants and the comprehens ive range of measures to study prospectively the biomedical, social, a nd emotional effects of the HIV epidemic on infected women and those w hose behavior puts them at high risk of infection.