ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: During earlier periods of the pandemic, Black and Latinx populations in Michigan have suffered higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and deaths when compared to Whites. We conducted this study to understand how Black and Latinx residents perceived this disproportionate burden. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In 2021, 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually in English or Spanish with Black (n=24) and Latinx (n=16) residents in Michigan areas highly impacted by COVID-19: Genesee, Kent, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties. Using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, we partnered with leaders from 15 community-based organizations and health and human service agencies to develop research questions, an interview protocol, and to interpret the data. We used the data analysis software Dedoose (ver 4.12) for inductive coding (IRR=0.81). This study is a part of the NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 initiative. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Participants described the significant impact of the pandemic in terms of physical and mental health, job security, and the sheer number of deaths among loved ones. They attributed the impact to comorbidities and social determinants of health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, including income, housing, access to healthcare, as well as systemic racism. They noted being overrepresented among frontline workers with higher exposure to COVID-19, limited or misinformation about the virus, language barriers, and difficulty with social distancing. Cultural norms that promote being in close proximity, such as intergenerational households, and loss of trusted community leaders were also noted. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Findings reflect the needs of Black and Latinx community members in Michigan and the discussions they feel are important to highlight. We must work strategically with partners and the community to provide transparency and effective leadership, and prioritize addressing systemic disparities in SDoH.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: COVID-19 vaccines were met with both public excitement and concern. Our goal was to understand individual's attitudes about COVID-19 vaccines within Black and Latino communities deeply impacted by COVID-19, in an effort to highlight their potential similarities and differences. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using a community-based participatory approach, we partnered with 16 leaders from community-based organizations to conduct a mixed-methods study examining the perspectives of Black and Latino communities regarding their vaccine acceptance or hesitancy. We focused on Michigan counties highly impacted by COVID-19 infection and deaths. In 2021, we interviewed 24 Black and 16 Latino residents in English or Spanish. We combined this with survey data on vaccine attitudes and behavior from the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (n=1,800). This research is part of the NIH Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Qualitative and quantitative analysis highlight that Black participants expressed greater mistrust and hesitance around vaccines and less willingness to get vaccinated, often citing historical mistreatment as a contributing factor. The desire to keep themselves, their families and community safe was cited as the most important factor shaping vaccine decisions among both groups. Trust in information and in science was rated as a stronger reason for vaccination among Latinx participants;however, they also appeared to highlight the issue of vaccine access more often than Black participants. Fear of side effects and risks were equally cited as factors that influenced their vaccine hesitancy. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite being labeled as minority communities, these two groups have important differences regarding their perspective of COVID-19 vaccines. Our results suggest that public health interventions must be tailored to address the concerns, differences in attitudes, and beliefs among Blacks and Latinos.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates whether changes in weight among school-aged youth in California due to the COVID-19 lockdown vary by social constructs of race/ethnicity and associated social factors. METHODS: Including 160,472 youth ages 5-17 years enrolled at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, mixed effects models stratified by age group were fitted to estimate changes in distance from the median body mass index (BMI)-for-age from 3/2020 to 1/2021 (lockdown) compared to the same period prepandemic. RESULTS: Excess pandemic weight gain was higher among Black and Hispanic youth 5-17 years than among white and Asian youth; this difference was most pronounced in those ages 5-11 years. In youth 5-11 years, the distance from the median BMI-for-age increased by 1.72 kg/m2 (95% CI 1.61, 1.84) in Hispanic and 1.70 kg/m2 (95% CI 1.47, 1.94) in Black youth during the lockdown compared to 1.16 kg/m2 (95% CI 1.02, 1.29) in non-Hispanic white youth. The excess weight gain was also higher in youth with fewer neighborhood parks and those with state-subsidized health insurance. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown led to a gain of excess body weight, particularly for Black and Hispanic youth; this weight gain varied by social factors associated with race and ethnicity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought profound changes to the health of families worldwide. Yet, there is limited research regarding its impact on children. The pandemic may exacerbate factors associated with excess weight, which is particularly concerning due to the potential association between excess weight and severity of COVID-19 infection. This study investigates parental perspectives of changes in fruit/vegetable (FV) intake, processed food (PF) intake, outdoor playtime (OP), physical activity (PA) levels, and recreational screen time (RST) among children living in Michigan during the pandemic. Methods: The study team and community partners developed and distributed a survey using snowball sampling to reach families living largely in Central and Southeastern Michigan. Nonlinear mixed-effects proportional odds models were used to examine associations between child weight status along with demographic/household factors and changes in five weight-related behaviors. Results: Parents (n = 1313; representing 2469 children) reported a decrease in OP, FV, and PA levels, while there was an increase in RST and PF intake among their children. Household income was protective against a decrease in OP, PA, and FV but was associated with increased RST. Children's weight status was associated with decreased FV. Age was negatively associated with OP and PA, and positively associated with RST. Conclusions: These findings suggest an adverse influence of the pandemic on weight-related behaviors, particularly among adolescents in families with lower incomes and those with excess weight. Further work is needed to measure any impact on BMI trajectory and to identify interventions to reverse negative effects.
ABSTRACT
Well-designed, accessible short-term research training programs are needed to recruit and retain underrepresented persons into clinical and translational research training programs and diversify the workforce. The Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research developed a summer research program, training over 270 students in 15 years. In response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, we pivoted swiftly from an in-person format to a fully remote format. We describe this process, focusing on factors of diversity, equity, and inclusion including enabling student participation in remote research activities. We collected data about students' learning experiences since the program's inception; therefore, we could evaluate the impact of remote vs. in-person formats. We examined data from five cohorts: three in-person (2017-2019; n = 57) and two remote (2020-2021; n = 45). While there was some concern about the value of participating in a remote format, overall students in both formats viewed the program favorably, with students in the remote cohorts rating some aspects of the program significantly more favorably. In addition, more students who identified as Black or African American participated in the remote format than in the in-person format. We describe lessons learned from this unprecedented challenge and future program directions.