tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Pediatrics
. 2023 Jul 1;152(Suppl 1):e2022060352E.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-060352E. Preliminary Reach of an Information Technology Approach to Support COVID-19 Testing in Schools
Tammy K Stump[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], David W Wetter[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Tatyana Kuzmenko[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Brian Orleans[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Leighann Kolp[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jennifer Wirth[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Guilherme Del Fiol[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jonathan Chipman[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Benjamin Haaland[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kimberly A Kaphingst[SUP] 5 2 [/SUP], Adam L Hersh[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yelena P Wu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Objectives: SCALE-UP Counts tests population health management interventions to promote coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing in kindergarten through 12th-grade schools that serve populations that have been historically marginalized.
Methods: Within 6 participating schools, we identified 3506 unique parents/guardians who served as the primary contact for at least 1 student. Participants were randomized to text messaging (TM), text messaging + health navigation (HN) (TM + HN), or usual care. Bidirectional texts provided COVID-19 symptom screening, along with guidance on obtaining and using tests as appropriate. If parents/guardians in the TM + HN group were advised to test their child but either did not test or did not respond to texts, they were called by a trained health navigator to address barriers.
Results: Participating schools served a student population that was 32.9% non-white and 15.4% Hispanic, with 49.6% of students eligible to receive free lunches. Overall, 98.8% of parents/guardians had a valid cell phone, of which 3.8% opted out. Among the 2323 parents/guardians included in the intervention, 79.6% (n = 1849) were randomized to receive TM, and 19.1% (n = 354) engaged with TM (ie, responded to at least 1 message). Within the TM + HN group (40.1%, n = 932), 1.3% (n = 12) qualified for HN at least once, of which 41.7% (n = 5) talked to a health navigator.
Conclusions: TM and HN are feasible ways to reach parents/guardians of kindergarten through 12th-grade students to provide COVID-19 screening messages. Strategies to improve engagement may strengthen the impact of the intervention.
. 2023 Jul 1;152(Suppl 1):e2022060352E.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-060352E. Preliminary Reach of an Information Technology Approach to Support COVID-19 Testing in Schools
Tammy K Stump[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], David W Wetter[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Tatyana Kuzmenko[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Brian Orleans[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Leighann Kolp[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jennifer Wirth[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Guilherme Del Fiol[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jonathan Chipman[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Benjamin Haaland[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kimberly A Kaphingst[SUP] 5 2 [/SUP], Adam L Hersh[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yelena P Wu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37394508
- PMCID: PMC10312282
- DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-060352E
Objectives: SCALE-UP Counts tests population health management interventions to promote coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing in kindergarten through 12th-grade schools that serve populations that have been historically marginalized.
Methods: Within 6 participating schools, we identified 3506 unique parents/guardians who served as the primary contact for at least 1 student. Participants were randomized to text messaging (TM), text messaging + health navigation (HN) (TM + HN), or usual care. Bidirectional texts provided COVID-19 symptom screening, along with guidance on obtaining and using tests as appropriate. If parents/guardians in the TM + HN group were advised to test their child but either did not test or did not respond to texts, they were called by a trained health navigator to address barriers.
Results: Participating schools served a student population that was 32.9% non-white and 15.4% Hispanic, with 49.6% of students eligible to receive free lunches. Overall, 98.8% of parents/guardians had a valid cell phone, of which 3.8% opted out. Among the 2323 parents/guardians included in the intervention, 79.6% (n = 1849) were randomized to receive TM, and 19.1% (n = 354) engaged with TM (ie, responded to at least 1 message). Within the TM + HN group (40.1%, n = 932), 1.3% (n = 12) qualified for HN at least once, of which 41.7% (n = 5) talked to a health navigator.
Conclusions: TM and HN are feasible ways to reach parents/guardians of kindergarten through 12th-grade students to provide COVID-19 screening messages. Strategies to improve engagement may strengthen the impact of the intervention.