Teachers College, Columbia University
New York, New York

INFORMED CONSENT

DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH: You are being asked to fill out a survey to participate in a study being conducted through the Department of Health and Behavior Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. We want to learn more about what Haitian women who are HIV positive think, feel, and experience. Our goal is to use this information to create better services for Haitian women. We have already started creating interventions to help Haitian women to better cope by creating the Haitian Station. The Haitian Station is a new section of a website designed for women of African descent called  WWW.DIVAHEALTH.ORG . We want you to spread the word to all of your Haitian friends, sisters and daughters about the new Haitian Station so community members can start protecting themselves from Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and HIV/TADS. However, we are asking you to provide us with information by filling out a survey so we can further develop interventions for HIV positive women that will appear on the Haitian Station at; thus, the purpose of the present study.

RISK AND BENEFITS: We do not anticipate any risk to you as a result of filling out this on-line survey. However, it is possible that as you fill out the survey and answer questions about what you have felt (e.g. sad) and experienced (e.g. reactions of others to you) you may become upset. Although, we would encourage you to complete the survey, you can discontinue participation in this study at any time. Simply click "end/exit" to exit the study, or delete the whole email entirely. Fortunately, the very website (WWW.DIVAHEALTH.ORG  & the Haitian Station) where you are taking this survey has links to HIV/AIDS counseling and other treatment resources. If you become upset, you may follow the links to get more information or counseling, or you can end your participation. If you have health insurance, you may want to receive a referral to see a health or mental health provider. In contemporary times, it is also recommended that all pursue Voluntary Counseling and Testing for HIV, as well as testing for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs); your local health department can be contacted for this service, also. Since you are an internet user, you may conduct via Google.com a search by entering: free or affordable counseling services and your city and state (i.e., BriefCounseling.com to talk to a psychologist by phone, with the first five minutes being free.). Again, we do not think that completing the survey will trigger so much pain that this is necessary, but we offer you these suggestions as a precaution.

PAYMENTS: There are no payments associated with participating in this study. However, you have a 3 out of 200 chance of winning a $100 gift certificate. Once 200 people have completed the entire survey, the program will automatically send out gift certificates (bar coded to Amazon.com where you can purchase anything from CDs, to books, to electronic equipment to food) to 3 randomly chosen e-mail accounts without in any way linkinq your identity to the survey results.

DATA STORAGE TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY:  Since this is an online survey, actual names, addresses and phone numbers are not needed, and only aggregate (group) data will be utilized. The designers of the website have taken steps to ensure that all data will remain secure, private and confidential.

TIME INVOLVEMENT: The survey should take about 25-30 minutes

HOW RESULTS WILL BE USED: The results of the study will be used mainly for the purpose of health education, specifically, to improve the care and treatment of HIV positive Haitian women. We will only collect and use aggregate data; individual data will not be used. This information will also be used as dissertation data for the researchers' doctorate degree in health education. The data will be presented at health education meetings, published in journals and used for other educational purposes.

 

Thanks for your participation!

Claire Casseus, AS, BS, MS, MA
(Ed.D. Candidate, Teachers College, Columbia University)
clc2112@columbia.edu

 

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