Strategies for Accessing and Retaining Asian Drug Users in Research Studies

SUMMARY

Based on a research project that investigates drug use and HIV risk behaviors among Asian drug users in San Francisco, this paper describes barriers and strategies for accessing, recruiting, and retaining Asian drug users. It also presents culturally appropriate and group specific strategies and underlying cultural norms that outreach workers use to build rapport with targeted drug users and community members. The paper describes culturally appropriate strategies for outreach workers and project staff to recruit and retain Asian drug users. These strategies acknowledge diversities within the targeted ethnic groups and offer flexibility to create other strategies specific to targeted Asian drug users.