LA CaTS Supplement NOT-OD-21-101

项目总结/摘要 在美国，COVID-19在低收入和医疗服务不足的人群中造成了不成比例的健康负担， 社会在路易斯安那州，一些最大的健康和经济后果在我们的黑人中很明显。 社区.此外，尽管SARS-CoV-2疫苗广泛可用，但约30%的 美国人口报告说，他们不会接种疫苗，黑人公民和社会地位较低的人， 经济状况更容易产生疫苗犹豫。因此，迫切需要解决疫苗 在COVID-19大流行和当前测试环境下的犹豫。路易斯安那 临床和转化科学（LA CaTS）中心提供必要的基础设施和关键的基础 支持我们地区的生物医学研究，并具有独特的优势，能够领导社区参与 研究项目，以确定解决方案，以减少疫苗犹豫和提高测试率，在我们最 服务不足的人群。宗教组织（教堂、清真寺、寺庙等）是可靠的 信息，特别是在黑人社区，并可能代表一个机会，传达准确， 向社区提供有关COVID-19疫苗接种和检测的公正健康信息。许多黑人 教会有完善的卫生部，为他们的成员整合信仰和健康， 他们服务的社区。我们将使用混合方法研究设计来确定 培训教会卫生部长，教育他们的会众关于安全和有效性的 COVID-19疫苗用于减少疫苗犹豫并提高服务不足人群的检测知识 黑人社区。我们将从五个教会随机抽取98名参与者， 接受他们的卫生部长关于接种疫苗和检测的好处的咨询，或者推迟接种疫苗。 干预对照组。干预对主要结局的影响，测量疫苗犹豫 通过结构化问卷调查，将在三周后进行研究。经过三周的控制期， 延迟干预对照组同时进行干预。然后，我们将进行焦点小组讨论， 参与者的子样本，以获得关于疫苗犹豫来源的更详细信息， 疫苗相关的决定。研究目标的实现将大大增加我们对 路易斯安那州黑人城市社区的疫苗犹豫。我们的研究结果将为开发 有针对性的干预措施，以增加美国各地大量未得到充分服务的人群的疫苗覆盖率 南

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.