Recruitment of African Americans in AIDS clinical trials: some recommended strategies.

AIDS traditionally has been more prevalent among homosexual white males, but it has been spreading rapidly among the heterosexual populations. The great impact of AIDS has been among the under-privileged population, especially African Americans. AIDS is now a leading cause of death among African Americans age 25 to 44. In spite of this fact, African Americans are disproportionately under-represented in AIDS clinical trials. The lack of participation in clinical trials means that this population is not benefiting from the state-of-the-art drugs that are emerging. It also means that the results of the clinical trials cannot be generalized to the larger African American population. This paper describes ways to recruit and retain African Americans in AIDS clinical trials. Increased participation in clinical trials by African Americans will help researchers better evaluate the effects of the new drugs on African Americans, which is often different than the effects on whites. Above all, there is a great potential to reduce the high morbidity and mortality from AIDS-related illnesses among African Americans who participate in clinical trials.