LA CaTS Supplement NOT-OD-21-101

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Project Summary/Abstract In the US, COVID-19 unveiled a disproportionate health burden in low income and underserved segments of society. In Louisiana, some of the greatest health and economic consequences are evident in our Black communities. Furthermore, despite the widespread availability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, approximately 30% of the US population reports that they will not get vaccinated, and Black citizens and those with lower socio- economic status are more likely to have vaccine hesitancy. Thus, there is an urgent need to address vaccine hesitancy within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current testing environment. The Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science (LA CaTS) Center provides the essential infrastructure and key foundational support for biomedical research in our region and is uniquely positioned to lead a community-engaged research project to determine solutions to decrease vaccine hesitancy and improve testing rates in our most underserved populations. Faith-based organizations (churches, mosques, temples, etc.) are trusted sources of information, especially among Black communities, and may represent an opportunity to convey accurate, unbiased health information regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and testing to the community. Many Black churches have well-developed health ministries that integrate faith and health for their members and the communities they serve. We will use a mixed-methods study design to determine the effectiveness of training church health ministers to educate their congregations about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for decreasing vaccine hesitancy and improving testing knowledge in underserved Black communities. We will randomize 98 participants from five churches to an intervention group that will receive counseling from their health ministers on the benefits of getting vaccinated and tested, or to a delayed intervention control group. The effects of the intervention on the primary outcome, vaccine hesitancy measured by a structured questionnaire, will be studied after three weeks. Following the three-week control period, the delayed intervention control group will also receive the intervention. We will then conduct focus groups among a sub-sample of participants to obtain more granular information on sources of vaccine hesitancy and for their vaccine-related decisions. The achievement of the study's goals will significantly increase our understanding of vaccine hesitancy within Black urban communities in Louisiana. Our results will inform the development of targeted interventions to increase vaccine coverage in the large, underserved populations across the American South.