dbGaP Study Accession: phs002704

NIH Institute/Center: NIA

RADx Data Program: RADx-UP

Release Date: 08/30/2023

DOI: 10.60773/mq9p-yx64

Study Description: The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has greatly impacted underserved populations. This project aimed to understand social and behavioral determinants of COVID-19 testing and variations within sub-groups of this population. In partnership with the largest federally qualified health center in the United States, a survey was administered and a randomized experiment was conducted on 2,160 individuals (540 families) to evaluate the effectiveness of risk-based messaging and incentives that promote repeated testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. In a 2x2 (Messaging x Incentive) factorial experiment, participants were randomized to receive personalized messaging promoting repeated testing. Messaging focused upon either (1a) household risk or (1b) personal risk of COVID-19. They were also randomly assigned to an incentive condition that (2a) insures against losing baseline rewards for initial testing, or (2b) that enters them into a bonus lottery with a small chance to win $150 if they complete both tests. Both the insurance and lottery conditions carry the same incentive costs. Previous work in similar populations demonstrated that adherence to planned health behaviors is higher with insurance-based incentives than cash payments of equal value. This experiment compared insurance-based incentives to lottery incentives that have been shown to be effective in multiple contexts. Finally, whether social and behavioral determinants of health result in heterogeneous treatment effects that can inform customization of incentive offerings in future programs devoted to increasing uptake of testing or vaccinations among underserved populations was evaluated.

Updated Date: 04/10/2024

Principal Investigator: Doctor, Jason N

Has Data Files: Yes

Study Domain: Social Determinants of Health

Data Collection Method: Antibody or Adaptive Immune Response Testing; Survey

Keywords: Randomized Factorial Experiment; Repeat Testing; Risk-Based Messaging; Testing Disparities

Study Design: Longitudinal Cohort

Multi-Center Study: No

Data Types: Questionnaire or Survey

Study Start Date: 09/30/2020

Study End Date: 08/31/2022

Species: Human

Estimated Cohort Size: 2000

Study Population Focus: Adults; Children; Older Adults or Elderly; Underserved or Vulnerable Populations

ClinicalTrials.gov URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04901624

Publication URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10254815/

Acknowledgement Statement: This study was supported through funding, 3R33AG057395-04S1, for the National Institute on Aging (NIA) as part of the RADx-UP program. PI: Jason Doctor. We also wish to acknowledge our community partners, AltaMed Health, and USC internal funding sources (Zumberge and Keck Foundation). Approved users should acknowledge the provision of data access by dbGaP for accession phs002704.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): 3R33AG057395-04S1

Consent/Data Use Limitations: General Research Use