Increasing COVID-19 Testing in Chicago's African American Testing Desserts

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: COVID-19 Pandemic

Interventions: Behavioral: COVID-19 Testing

Registration Number: NCT05197452

Lead Sponsor: Rush University Medical Center

Brief Summary: This study uses a population-based approach to increase uptake of COVID-19 testing within a highly segregated and underserved African American community in Chicago.

Detailed Description: The epidemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused an unprecedented public health crisis in the United States. African Americans (AA) have been disproportionately impacted, as systemic inequities have contributed to increased exposure and vulnerability to COVID-19. Evidence suggests that AAs are delaying testing and care for COVID-19, which increases risk of transmission and poor outcomes. In Chicago, segregated AA neighborhoods have experienced some of the highest COVID-19 mortality rates in the city, yet large portions of these neighborhoods remain testing deserts. Providing trusted, accessible, community-based testing in underserved AA communities is critical to ensuring that AAs receive an early diagnosis, thereby reducing the risk of further transmission and improving clinical outcomes. This study leverages the Alive Church Network (ACN), a long-standing, community-driven coalition of African American pastors and public health researchers that was developed as a sustainable infrastructure to address health inequities in chronic disease in segregated AA neighborhoods in Chicago. The ACN was designed to address lack of access to health care, cultural insensitivity, and lack of trust, which are the root cause of disparities in chronic disease as well as infectious disease, including COVID-19. This project utilizes the ACN infrastructure to create a network of church-based testing sites in a segregated and underserved AA neighborhood in Chicago that will provide COVID-19 testing and education as well as linkage to healthcare and social resources. Pastors who serve predominantly AA congregations on the South Side of Chicago will form a coalition to promote community-wide COVID-19 testing in local churches and church-based events where residents are congregating, such as Sunday church services, food pantries, and other gatherings. Residents of all ages will receive COVID-19 education and free severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing with rapid turn-around of results from an on-site clinical team, as well as connection to local resources to address social needs, including food, housing, and medical care. At-home COVID-19 tests will also be provided to residents for their personal use and to distribute to others in their social network. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of the ACN COVID-19 testing intervention on uptake of testing among residents of target high poverty AA neighborhoods in Chicago.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 2167

Inclusion Criteria

• All individuals who request a COVID-19 test, including pregnant women and children of all ages

Exclusion Criteria

• Individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the prior 3 months

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
COVID-19 Testing	COVID-19 Testing	COVID-19 antigen and PCR Testing

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
COVID-19 Testing Uptake	Up to 20 months	Covid testing uptake was measured as the number of neighborhood residents (i.e., count of unique participants) tested for COVID-19 at any timepoint during the study which occurred between December 2020 and August 2022. The were 397 testing events at churches or community site where participants could be tested during this time period. Individuals may have been tested more than once but were only counted once. Testing uptake was assessed as the number of participants tested at least once (n=2167). Pre and post evaluations were not performed. The measure was based a single count of participants tested.

Secondary Outcome Measures