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

Alive Church Network: Increasing COVID-19 Testing in Chicago's African American Testing Deserts

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: COVID-19 Pandemic
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: COVID-19 Testing

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 2167
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60422
      • Rush University Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

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 Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: COVID-19 Testing; COVID-19 antigen and PCR Testing

Behavioral: COVID-19 Testing; For in-person PCR testing, a nasal swab will be inserted shallowly into the participant's nose and rotated in each nostril. The swab will be broken off into a designated test tube and placed into a specimen bag along with a label. All specimens will be stored in a cooler until they are transported the Rush Laboratory for COVID-19 analysis. For at home antigen testing, participants will download an app to their mobile phone and watch an informational video. The test will be self-administered by inserting a nasal swab into the nostril until a cap containing the swab touches the nose; rubbing the swab tip around the nose cavity 3 times; removing the swab and repeating in the other nostril. The nasal swab, a dropper, processing fluid, and a blue tooth connected analyzer are provided with the testing kit to analyze the sample for COVID-19. COVID-19 home test results are displayed on the participants smart phone after 15 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
COVID-19 Testing Uptake	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.	Up to 20 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Re-AIM Framework	Use the RE-AIM framework to assess the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance of the ACN COVID-19 testing intervention.	Up to 6 months after end of study
Needs Assessment	Evaluate COVID-19 testing history, attitudes towards COVID-19 testing, and perceived risk of COVID-19 via survey.	First 2 months of the study prior to the start of the testing intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Rush University Medical Center
• Collaborators: National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Lynch, PhD, Rush University Medical Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 23, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 18, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): November 18, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 13, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 16, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): January 19, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 24, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 23, 2024
• Last Verified: May 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Lung Diseases; COVID-19
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20110407; R01NR018463 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No