Project dates: January 2022 - November 2024
Co-Investigator: Cleland, Charles
COVID-19 testing is essential to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic to break transmission chains and reduce community transmission. However, Black and Latino/Hispanic populations in frontline essential occupations such as food preparation, retail, building maintenance, personal services, and in-home health care have serious barriers to COVID-19 testing and, therefore, insufficient testing rates. This study used the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) framework to address the problem of low COVID-19 testing rates for these groups. It tested the effects of four distinct candidate intervention components and then created an efficient multicomponent strategy made up of the most effective combination of the components that could rapidly be scaled up in community settings to boost COVID-19 testing rates.
Abstract on NIH RePORTEREffects of behavioral intervention components to increase COVID-19 testing for African American/Black and Latine frontline essential workers not up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination: Results of an optimization randomized controlled trial
Journal of Behavioral Medicine [Epub 2025 Apr 17]. doi: 10.1007/s10865-025-00566-x.
Gwadz M, Robinson JA, Serrano FGB, Campos S, Freeman RM, Chero R, Cleland CM, Parameswaran L, Hawkins RL, Filippone P, Lizardo M, Bangser G, Ramirez PG, Negret A, Kagzi M, Lissinna H (2025).
Perspectives on COVID-19 vaccination among unvaccinated and under-vaccinated African American/Black and Latine frontline essential workers: A qualitative exploration
AIDS and Behavior [Epub 2025 Apr 10]. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04708-9.
Gwadz M, Cleland CM, Lizardo M, Hawkins RL, Bangser G, Parameswaran L, Stanhope V, Robinson JA, Karim S, Holloway T, Ramirez PG, Filippone PL, Ritchie AS, Banfield A, Silverman E (2022).
Using the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) framework to optimize an intervention to increase COVID-19 testing for Black and Latino/Hispanic frontline essential workers: A study protocol
BMC Public Health, 22, 1235. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13576-0. PMCID: PMC9210062.