Vietnamese Americans’ Trust in COVID-19 Information Sources and Willingness to Participate in Clinical Trials

Context: People of Vietnamese descent are one of the largest Asian American populations, and underrepresented within the demographics of COVID-19 clinical trials. With the rising awareness of misinformation, there is concern about the sources of information Vietnamese Americans use and association with COVID-19 clinical trial participation.

Objective: To investigate levels of trust in sources of information and correlate with the willingness of Vietnamese Americans to participate in SARS-CoV-2 trials.

Study Design and Analysis: Cross-sectional survey results analyzed using logistic regression

Setting or Dataset: Online survey open between September 2021- March 2022

Population Studied: Vietnamese adults in Texas

Intervention/Instrument: NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Common Survey 2, which was translated into Vietnamese and back translated to English.

Outcome Measures: Levels of trust in sources of COVID-19 information, levels of trust in sources of COVID-19 clinical trials, willingness to participate in COVID-19 clinical trials

Results: In total, 212 were analyzed with case availability. Willingness to participate in a clinical trial was associated with trust in universities/hospitals (OR=4.91; 1.35-17.89) and the drug companies (OR=; 4.14; 1.77-9.67). Trust in information from federal (OR=2.27; 1.16-4.47) and local/state governments (OR=2.30; 1.17-4.52) was associated with a willingness to participate in a trial. Trust in information from local clinics was associated with unwillingness to participate in a trial (OR=0.30; 0.12-0.73).

Conclusion: The results provide insight into Vietnamese Americans’ trusted sources of information regarding COVID-19 clinical trials and willingness to participate. Removing barriers of distrust is critical for improving racial and ethnic diversity in COVID-19 therapeutic clinical trials.