Rural Tailored COVID-19 Communication to Promote SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing in Saliva

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: SARS-CoV2 Infection

Registration Number: NCT06085547

Lead Sponsor: Michigan State University

Brief Summary: This study seeks to evaluate communication strategies for better encouraging understanding and uptake of salivary SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing among individuals residing in rural Northern Michigan. This iteration will consider individuals recruited from rural Northern Michigan and assess individuals' willingness to participate in home-based saliva sample collections.

Detailed Description: Rural Americans are at higher risk of many severe COVID-19 related health outcomes. These disparities are likely to endure given lower vaccination uptake in many rural communities, and also the continued emergence of SARS-COV-2 variants, even as overall vaccination rates and COVID-19 treatments improve. Better understanding and addressing rural disparities in COVID-19 could be aided by SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing that can measure herd immunity, assess vaccination efficacy and uptake, and perhaps inform re-vaccination strategies. However, implementing antibody testing education and outreach in rural contexts poses unique challenges, including that many rural communities remain skeptical of COVID-19 testing and treatment. Moreover, rural communities are racially and regionally diverse, including predominantly White populations in some rural regions, but largely African American in others. Such diversity highlights that tailoring the use of specific antibody communication strategies to particular rural contexts is critical. Another challenge posed by rural contexts is in implementing biological sample collections, including effectively distributing and receiving biospecimen collection kits and ensuring proper sample collections. Taken together, there is an urgent need to develop and evaluate communication and collection strategies that can better promote SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing in diverse rural contexts. This study seeks to evaluate communication strategies for better encouraging understanding and uptake of salivary SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing among individuals residing in rural Northern Michigan. The central hypothesis is that rural Americans will be receptive to antibody testing when communication is specifically tailored, and when non-invasive home-based salivary collection is used. The rationale is that combining effective rural health communication with home-based salivary testing will reduce skepticism and mistrust, and promote uptake that can lead to better grasping and addressing rural disparities in COVID-19. The clinical trial aims for this study are to 1) develop and compare the effects of tailored rural videos about antibody testing to general antibody education videos on salivary antibody testing attitudes, intentions, and behavior among rural White Americans residing in Michigan, and rural African Americans residing in Arkansas; 2) compare effects of tailored rural videos on activation of medical mistrust among rural White Americans in Michigan and rural African Americans in Arkansas when considering antibody testing; and 3) develop, evaluate, and compare the efficacy and fidelity of a protocol for home-based salivary collection in rural contexts that includes sending, collecting, receiving and successfully assaying for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using salivary collection kits. In this study iteration, the investigators will consider individuals recruited from rural Northern Michigan and assess individuals' willingness to participate in home-based saliva sample collections.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 264

Inclusion Criteria

White, 18 or older

Exclusion Criteria

All who do not meet inclusion criteria

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number (Percentage) of Participants Requested to Participate in Home-based Saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing.	Immediately following didactic study portion and health communication randomization on day 1.	Number (percentage) of participants who respond "yes" to be included in the offer to participate in no cost home-based SARS-CoV-2 salivary antibody testing.
Number (Percentage) of Participants Who Completed Home-based Salivary Antibody Testing.	8 weeks from the day of consenting to participate in the home-based salivary-based SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing.	Number (Percentage) of participants that requested to participate in antibody testing who actually complete antibody testing.
Theory of Planned Behavior Antibody Testing Outcomes	collected immediately, up to 1 hour	Self-report measures of antibody testing attitudes, norms, perceived control, and intentions to be screened are each adapted from published research (Lucas et al., 2021). These items are constructed following recommended procedures to ensure construct validity and adequate behavioral specificity (Fishbein \& Ajzen, 2011). All items use Likert-type scales that range from 1 (Strongly Agree) to 7 (Strongly Disagree).
Antibody Testing Rural-Adapted Anticipatory Racism	Immediately following didactic study portion and health communication randomization on day 1.	Extent to which participants believe that rural racism-related factors would diminish the value of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing for self (Seven-point Likert rating, with higher scores indicating greater Anticipatory Racism).