COVID-2019 Testing and Vaccination Among African American and Latinx Public Housing Residents

Multilevel Participatory Intervention to Reduce Barriers and Promote Social and Behavioral Facilitators of COVID-19 Testing Among African Americans and Latinx Public Housing Residents

This proposal seeks to enhance acceptability and uptake of COVID-19 testing and vaccination to engage African American and Latinx public housing residents in South Los Angeles. Given the multiple disparities experienced by public housing residents, the investigators will utilize a theoretically-based, multidisciplinary and culturally tailored intervention to reduce barriers and implement innovate strategies to engage this population in the uptake of COVID-19 testing and vaccination.

Through the engagement and empowerment of 15 trained COVID-19 health ambassadors, the investigators will jointly implement and evaluate a theoretically based and culturally-sensitive socio-behavioral intervention that will: a) reduce mistrust, fatalistic beliefs, and related psychosocial barriers that hinder COVID-19 testing and vaccination; b) increase receptivity and willingness for uptake of COVID-19 testing and vaccination; and c) assess perceived impact of psychosocial and health outcomes related to COVID-19 testing and vaccination for 310 African American and Latinx public housing residents.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Identify as Latino/Hispanic or African American/Black
• Reside in one of the six collaborating public housing
• 18 years old and older
• Speak either English or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria:

• Does not self-identify as African American and/or Black
• Under the age of 18
• Unable to speak English or Spanish
• Does not Reside in one of the six collaborating public housing