We welcome feedback from participants. Please feel free
to contact us with any questions or comments you may have.Here are some of the questions we've been asked so far:
Why don't you double-side the questionnaires to save paper?
This is possibly the most commonly asked question. We considered
double-siding the paper, but we decided that this would be too
confusing as there are so many places in the questionnaire that
redirect you to another page.
Why are some sections so repetitive?
The questionnaire contains some sections that ask the same
questions in different ways, to measure social support and depression.
As these questions are drawn from other sources and have already
been validated for their accuracy, we can't make any changes
to them.
Why is there no consistency in the order of options (e.g.
"yes/no/not sure")? Are you trying to influence the
responses?
No. The options are generally given in the same order unless
a sub-question follows a "yes" response, in which case
the "yes" option would appear last to allow the sub-question
to follow. This makes the lay-out less confusing. (We hope.)
Why do you ask if I'd be willing to participate in an
HIV vaccine trial?
A number of experimental vaccines against HIV have been developed,
and over 2000 people in the world have been vaccinated to test
the safety of these vaccines. But so far there have been no large-scale
human trials to test the effectiveness of an HIV vaccine.
When a vaccine is ready to be tested in a large-scale human trial,
cohort studies such as the Vanguard Project may be asked to recruit
willing participants. We wanted to find out in advance what percentage
of Vanguard participants might be willing to participate in such
a vaccine trial, in the event that we are invited to take part
in one.
Can I stay in the study if I leave town?
Yes. Participants who move out of the Lower Mainland are
encouraged to continue participating in the study. As long as
we have a current address for you, we can mail you a questionnaire
every year. Long-distance participants are asked to get tested
in their new place of residence and mail us a copy of the results.
Can I stay in the study if I test positive for HIV?
Yes. Participants who test positive for HIV are encouraged
to stay in the study. There was some initial confusion about
this as we had originally intended to stream HIV+ Vanguard participants
into the VLAS, which is a study of the natural history of HIV
disease. But as the VLAS is now coming to a close, we decided
instead to keep all Vanguard participants in the Vanguard Project,
regardless of their test results.
Will I get kicked out of the study when I turn 31?
No. Eligible participants have to be under 31 when they complete
their first questionnaire, but once you're in the study it doesn't
matter how old you get. (Not to us, at least.)
Why do you want to know if I've been circumcized?
Someday the Vanguard Project will evolve into a dating service
for gay and bisexual men, and we will match up participants based
on sexual preferences, HIV-status and whether they prefer men
cut or uncut. Just kidding. Actually there is some evidence that
there may be a marginal difference in the risk of insertive intercourse
depending on whether or not you have a foreskin, so we thought
we'd stick it in, so to speak.