dbGaP Study Accession: phs002660

NIH Institute/Center: NIDA

RADx Data Program: RADx-UP

DOI: 10.60773/n328-4344

Release Date: 08/31/2023

Study Description: Latinos are among the most heavily impacted communities by the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, with more than 3 times higher infection rate than non-Hispanic whites. To address this disparity, this team of investigators and community partners established a multi-pronged approach that leveraged the skill set of trusted bilingual/bicultural peer navigators (or promotoras) to address social determinants of health (SDOH) that create barriers to testing (such as lack of insurance, immigration status, stigmatization or loss of job/ income), and to expand access to free COVID-19 testing in community settings. Preliminary findings show that leveraging the promotora model for timely delivery of results (within 48 hours), paired with rapid linkage of COVID-19 positive patients to critical services (including clinical follow-up, food delivery, cash assistance, and/or isolation hotel), and referral of contacts for testing, increased acceptability and uptake of COVID-19 testing in a heavily impacted Latino community. The overall goal of this Phase I Testing Research Project called Juntos (Together) was to work closely with community partners to systematically evaluate and refine current COVID-19 testing strategies, and to implement and evaluate innovative customized strategies to rapidly increase reach, access, acceptance, uptake, and sustainment of FDA-authorized/approved diagnostics (especially viral tests) for this highly vulnerable and health care marginalized community. Leveraging community partnerships and prior experience implementing an HIV testing campaign, a customized Juntos COVID- 19 testing campaign was developed and evaluated to address specific common concerns in the Latino community and link users to existing Johns Hopkins COVID-19 community testing sites and to new options, including home-based and/or self- testing kits and rapid tests (Aim 1). Assessment of the overall impact of the Juntos COVID-19 Testing Project will rely on the latest in causal inference methods for evaluating population-level health interventions and a synthetic control analysis will be implemented to compare testing uptake and positivity rate among Latinos in Baltimore City (intervention site) as compared to control zip codes across Maryland. (Aim 2). Finally, informed by Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and RE-AIM framework, the implementation determinants, mechanisms, and outcomes of existing and novel Juntos testing interventions will be assessed to inform future broad-scale implementation (Aim 3). A multi-disciplinary team with methodological expertise in implementation science, community-based research, and laboratory medicine, has been assembled, and the mature and long-standing collaboration with partners at Esperanza Center, Casa de Maryland, the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, and religious leaders will be leveraged.

Updated Date: 04/10/2024

Principal Investigator: Page, Kathleen

Has Data Files: Yes

Study Domain: Diagnostic Testing; Social Determinants of Health

Data Collection Method: Interview or Focus Group; Survey

Keywords: Juntos Program; Testing Disparities

Study Design: Longitudinal Cohort

Multi-Center Study: No

Data Types: Behavioral; Clinical; Questionnaire or Survey; Social

Study Start Date: 09/30/2020

Study End Date: 08/31/2022

Species: Human

Estimated Cohort Size: 4312

Study Population Focus: Adults; Hispanics or Latinos; Older Adults or Elderly

Publication URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32706629/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33775510/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34398245/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34463697/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34743764/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35232508/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35301211/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35357317/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35398602/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35398602/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35460989/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35480235/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35642471/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36048527/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36074797/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36366857/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36446060/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36528815/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36652754/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36652754/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36657094/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36791317/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36805602/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36805602/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37070988/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10069846/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10269445/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10269445/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10411930/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8632451/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9528932/

Acknowledgement Statement: This study was supported through funding, 3R01DA045556-04S1, for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as part of the RADx-UP program. Approved users should acknowledge the provision of data access by dbGaP for accession phs002660.v1.p1, and the NIH RADx Data Hub. Approved users should also acknowledge the specific version(s) of the dataset(s) obtained from the NIH RADx Data Hub.

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: PA-20-135

NIH Grant or Contract Number(s): 3R01DA045556-04S1

Consent/Data Use Limitations: General Research Use