Using a Community-level Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention to Address COVID-19 Testing Disparities

Summary

In collaboration with community partners, this study will identify disparities and dynamics of COVID-19 testing and infections in three Texas regions; and implement a multilevel intervention that increases access to testing and referrals to follow-up care among vulnerable populations. Using a three-arm group-randomized controlled trial, this study will assess the impact of multi-level interventions influencing motivation and access to testing.

The outcomes of this study are measured at the population level and no individual data will be gathered. Analyses of de-identified PHI data from local and regional health departments on COVID testing and infection rates will be used to assess intervention outcomes.

Conditions

• COVID-19

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Multi-Level Multi-Component Intervention (MLI)

The strategic components of our multi-level, multi-component intervention (MLI) include: 1. Building testing access for vulnerable populations, 2) Community Health Worker (CHW)-delivered navigation to SARSCoV- 2 testing and access and reinforce risk mitigation recommendations, 3) 2-1-1 helpline-referrals and navigation to FDA approved SARSCoV- 2 testing (and self sampling once approved) and risk mitigation education, and 4) social marketing and small media campaign to provide geo-targeted messages promoting testing and COVID risk mitigation behaviors. We selected these components because of their evidence base, their current use by partners in response to COVID 19, and confidence that they can be adapted through a community engaged process as described.

BEHAVIORAL

Community Just-In-Time Adaptive Intervention (Community JITAI)

This intervention includes the same MLI components described above, with an added JITAI approach. Community and stakeholder partners will use real-time data related to testing and other relevant information generated by the Epidemiologic Surveillance and Analysis team (ESA) in Aim 1, as well as other information based on their community and stakeholder experience and tacit knowledge about factors influencing testing determinants, to adapt intervention activities as needed to optimize access to testing.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

  collaborator NIH

• The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Maria Fernandez, PhD · The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

• Belinda E Reininger, DrPh · The University of Texas Health Science Center, Brownsville

• David D McPherson, MD · The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

• Paul McGaha, DO · The University of Texas Health Science Center, Tyler

• Marcia C de Oliveira Otto, PhD · The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

• Kayo Fujimoto, PhD · The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-06-07

Primary Completion

2022-06-30

Completion

2022-12-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations