Table 5 Influencing factors and motivators to research participation and barriers to retention: drug of choice differences, heroin vs. methamphetamine
Survey item | Heroin (n = 90) | Methamphetamine (n = 91) | Prevalence ratioa,b | 95% CI | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Selected | not selected | selected | not selected | |||
Influencing factors | ||||||
What the research study involves (e.g., survey, drug testing for research) | 69 | 21 | 68 | 23 | 0.96 | (0.86, 1.06) |
How much time is required | 67 | 23 | 58 | 33 | 0.91 | (0.79, 1.03) |
How often they have to come in for visits | 57 | 33 | 56 | 35 | 0.90 | (0.78, 1.05) |
How far they have to travel to participate (i.e., nearby vs. out of town) | 58 | 32 | 67 | 24 | 1.01 | (0.90, 1.13) |
Privacy of the research office | 58 | 32 | 73 | 18 | 1.10 | (0.99, 1.20) |
Why their information is being collected and what it will be used for | 53 | 37 | 67 | 24 | 1.12* | (1.00, 1.26) |
Whether their information will be kept confidential | 63 | 27 | 80 | 11 | 1.07 | (0.99, 1.16) |
Whether the staff doing the research is friendly and trustworthyc | 62 | 28 | 82 | 9 | – | – |
Whether the research institution or university is respected | 39 | 51 | 51 | 40 | 1.25* | (1.08, 1.43) |
Whether they can skip questions of parts of the study that make them uncomfortable | 51 | 39 | 61 | 30 | 1.04 | (0.91, 1.19) |
How much money they will receive | 64 | 26 | 75 | 16 | 1.01 | (0.92, 1.11) |
How much the project will benefit them overall | 58 | 32 | 68 | 23 | 0.93 | (0.82, 1.05) |
Whether their appointment times will interfere with their work schedule | 37 | 53 | 42 | 49 | 1.07 | (0.88, 1.30) |
Whether they have childcare so that they can attend their appointments | 41 | 49 | 51 | 40 | 1.08 | (0.91, 1.28) |
How their friends, family, or partner feels about them participating | 38 | 52 | 46 | 45 | 1.09 | (0.90, 1.31) |
Motivations | ||||||
Financial incentive (i.e., money or gift card given for participation | 79 | 11 | 81 | 10 | 0.97 | (0.91, 1.04) |
They believe in the mission of the research and want to contribute | 61 | 29 | 64 | 27 | 0.93 | (0.82, 1.06) |
Their friends, family, or partner participates | 63 | 27 | 67 | 24 | 0.93 | (0.82, 1.04) |
They want to tell their story | 49 | 41 | 54 | 37 | 1.03 | (0.88, 1.20) |
They know someone on the research team and want to help them out | 27 | 63 | 37 | 54 | 1.00 | (0.79, 1.28) |
They want to learn about the topic | 43 | 47 | 57 | 34 | 1.05 | (0.90, 1.23) |
They would want to get free testing (for example, rapid tests for HIV & Hepatitis C) if it was offered as part of the study | 55 | 35 | 78 | 13 | 1.08 | (0.99, 1.18) |
They would want to be linked with resources and/or follow-up testing if it was offered as part of the study | 55 | 35 | 73 | 18 | 1.09 | (0.99, 1.21) |
They would want to try a new treatment if it was offered as part of the study | 59 | 31 | 76 | 15 | 1.03 | (0.93, 1.13) |
Their friends, family, or partner pressures them to participate so that they can share the financial incentive | 34 | 56 | 32 | 59 | 0.88 | (0.69, 1.13) |
Barriers | ||||||
Not being able to get in touch with participants because their contact information changed | 72 | 18 | 80 | 11 | 1.00 | (0.93, 1.08) |
Not being able to get in touch with participants because they gave false contact information when they started the study | 51 | 39 | 61 | 30 | 0.99 | (0.87, 1.14) |
They may have trouble getting transportation for their appointments | 68 | 22 | 71 | 20 | 0.99 | (0.89, 1.09) |
They may have trouble being able to show up at a specific appointment time | 62 | 28 | 72 | 19 | 1.05 | (0.95, 1.16) |
They may have trouble getting to their appointment because of their work schedule | 44 | 46 | 46 | 45 | 1.04 | (0.89, 1.21) |
They may have trouble finding childcare so that they can go to their appointment | 47 | 43 | 49 | 42 | 0.94 | (0.79, 1.12) |
They may have concerns about confidentiality and privacy | 43 | 47 | 60 | 31 | 1.09 | (0.95, 1.26) |
They may be afraid that the staff would judge them if they are still using drugs | 38 | 52 | 48 | 43 | 1.09 | (0.91, 1.31) |
They may have stopped using drugs and no longer think the study is relevant to them | 40 | 50 | 56 | 35 | 1.01 | (0.86, 1.19) |
They are in a drug treatment or recovery facility and are unable to be contacted by research staff | 49 | 41 | 60 | 31 | 1.09 | (0.96, 1.25) |
Their friends, family, or partner may want them to stop participating | 29 | 61 | 28 | 63 | 0.94 | (0.71, 1.24) |