Perspectives of Transgender Women Toward Study Recruitment and Retention: Thematic Analysis from Thailand.

Background: Transgender women (TW) are at disproportionate risk of acquiring HIV, but their participation in HIV treatment and prevention studies remains low. This manuscript aims to evaluate TW's perspectives on study recruitment and retention to provide insights to researchers on designing a cohort study for this population. Methods: Thirteen TW who were at least 18 years and living in Bangkok, Thailand, were recruited by purposive sampling in January 2017–February 2017. All participated in a focus group discussion, and five participated in the additional one-on-one in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis was performed from the interview transcripts to identify themes regarding cohort study recruitment and retention. Results: The median (interquartile range, IQR) age of 25.8 (23.4–29.1) with 23.1% and 69.2% identified as females and TW, respectively, participated in the study. The analysis shows that TW highly value friendship, and maintaining a good relationship with the participants will improve recruitment and retention. Further, TW also suggested employing well-connected and respected TW influencers and community leaders to facilitate recruitment and retention, especially through online platforms. Other facilitators include having the opportunities to learn more about HIV and access to TW-friendly healthcare service, while the barriers are competing priorities and lack of a TW-centered approach. Conclusion/Policy Implication: This study elucidates the existing barriers and facilitators to research participation for TW. The findings also underscore the importance of involving study participants in designing research to ensure that the study is acceptable and culturally appropriate for TW to participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]