Developing a Clinic-Based, Vaccine-Promoting Intervention for African American Youth in Rural Alabama: Protocol for a Pilot Cluster-Randomized Controlled Implementation Science Trial.

BACKGROUND: African American youth in rural Alabama are clinically underserved and have limited knowledge about the human papillomavirus and the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, including knowledge about the risk for developing cervical or oropharyngeal cancers or COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: In this 30-month study, we propose to develop an in-clinic, youth-tailored, vaccine-promoting intervention for vaccine hesitancy reduction that can be seamlessly integrated into the existing environments of pediatric and family practice settings in rural Alabama. METHODS: This exploratory, sequential mixed methods study will be conducted in 3 phases. In the first phase, we will assess stakeholders' knowledge, sentiments, and beliefs related to vaccination in general, COVID-19 vaccination, and human papillomavirus vaccination. We will also assess stakeholders' perceptions of barriers to vaccination that exist in rural Alabama. This will be followed by a second phase wherein we will use the data collected in the first phase to inform the development and finalization of a noninvasive, modular, synchronous counseling intervention that targets the behaviors of 15- to 26-year-old adolescents. In the third phase, we will conduct a pilot hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation cluster-randomized controlled trial to assess intervention acceptability and feasibility (clinics: N=4; African American youth: N=120) while assessing a "clinical signal" of effectiveness. We will document implementation contexts to provide real-world insight and support dissemination and scale-up. RESULTS: The study was funded at the end of December 2020. Approval from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Institutional Review Board was obtained in May 2021, and the qualitative data collection process outlined in the first phase of this project concluded in November 2021. The entire study is expected to be complete at the end of December 2023. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the trial will provide much needed information on vaccine hesitancy in rural Alabama, and if found efficacious, the intervention could notably increase rates of vaccinations in one of the most underserved parts of the United States. The results from the trial will provide information that is valuable to public health practitioners and providers in rural settings to inform their efforts in increasing vaccination rates among 15- to 26-year-old African American youth in rural southern United States. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04604743; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04604743. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/33982.

Implementing a graduate medical education anti-racism workshop at an academic university in the Southern USA.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the social justice movement in early 2020 awakened many Americans to the health disparities and health care inequities affecting Black communities. This heightened awareness has strengthened the call to address social determinants of health, like racism. Physicians can play an important role in dismantling racism through knowledge of implicit biases and understanding of historical trauma resulting in medical distrust as a crucial step to help advance the health of minority communities. The purpose of this project was to develop an anti-racism workshop for Graduate Medical Education. Two discussants led 1.5-hour interactive workshops. Content covered microagressions, colorblindness, tokenism, stereotypes, levels of racism, the impact of racism on health, and anti-racism concepts. Facilitated breakout sessions allowed participants to provide examples of witnessed racism and discuss application of anti-racism tools in those settings. Following the workshops, participants were asked to complete a 16-item survey to evaluate workshop effectiveness. Between July and August 2020, four workshops were delivered to 131 attendees. Fifty-nine completed post workshop surveys. Most respondents were White (75%), female (63%), and aged 31-40 (29%). Over half were faculty; 24% were residents, 8% fellows. The majority agreed they could apply knowledge to their work (95%) and found the workshop useful (95%). Over two-thirds reported being able to better identify disparities and better identify and communicate about racism. In open-ended questions, many participants requested an interactive longitudinal curriculum. Developing an antiracism workshop for an academic medical center located in the Deep South provided more insight into tangible next steps to foster an institutional culture centered on antiracism.

COVID-19 Vaccine Sentiments Among African American or Black Adolescents in Rural Alabama.

Considering the urgent need to increase vaccine uptake in Alabama, a rural state with the lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccination in the country, we conducted an exploratory study to elucidate sentiments toward vaccination among African American or black adolescents. We conducted in-depth interviews with 15-17 year olds in rural Alabama (N = 28). About 54% of our sample were female. Nearly a third lived with an older family member; 18% knew someone who contracted COVID-19. Using Rapid Qualitative Analysis, 3 COVID-19 vaccine-related themes emerged: influence of community leaders and older family members, fear of side effects and misinformation, and institutional distrust. To address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among rural African American or black adolescents, we suggest adopting a socioecological approach to public health messaging that addresses misinformation and government distrust and is delivered by local influencers with the social capital necessary to promote behavior change, namely older family members and Church officials.