Older Adults' Perspectives of Physical Distancing and the Community Center

The purpose of this study was to describe older adults' perceptions of loneliness, quality of life and connection to their community center during physical distancing to inform classes and events during COVID-19. A descriptive, mixed methods study using online and telephone surveys was conducted with 265 older adults in a major Canadian city. Older adults reported a lower quality of life and community connection and a greater sense of loneliness, however resilience emerged as a strong theme. Participants identified regular physical exercise, connection to others through technology and a philosophical approach to events and life as ways of coping with physical distancing. Community centers need to actively continue to innovate with technology, classes and events and provide regular, supportive communication with members during COVID-19 and beyond.

Enriching Social Sharing for the Dementia Community: Insights from In-Person and Online Social Programs

The dementia community faces major challenges in social engagements, which have been further complicated by the prolonged physical distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Designing digital tools for in-person social sharing in family and care facility settings has been well explored, but comparatively little HCI work has focused on the design of community-based social technologies for virtual settings. We present our virtual fieldwork on remote social activities explored by one dementia community in response to the impacts of the pandemic. Building upon our previously published on-site fieldwork in this community, we expand on our initial publication by follow-up interviewing caregivers and facilitators and reflecting on a virtual social program. Through thematic analysis and contrasting in-person and online formats of the program, we deepened the understanding of virtual social engagements of the dementia community, examining their efforts to leverage physical objects and environments, enhance open and flexible experiences, and expand collaborative space. We propose to open new design opportunities through holistic approaches, including reimagining community social spaces, rethinking agency in people with dementia and caregivers, and diversifying HCI support across communities and stakeholders. © 2023 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). Publication rights licensed to ACM.

Participatory Action Research Challenges Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review and Comparison across Two European Projects

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that spread through the world in 2020 had a major effect on academia. Research projects relying on participatory methods and action research approaches were especially harmed by the restrictions and changes the situation imposed. This study performs a rapid literature review to identify common themes in the narratives of published studies concerning the difficulties of carrying-out participatory research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceptions and experiences of the authors of these studies are compiled and summarized. Additionally, insights and lessons learned from two projects in which the authors of this study participated are discussed and used to establish a comparison with the common challenges found in the literature. Over 90% of authors experienced challenges related to digitalization and methodological changes, 70% encountered difficulties with organizational and operational aspects of research, and over 30% felt that personal challenges, as well as issues with participatory aspects of research, were significant. On a positive note, almost 40% of authors from our sample recognize that the pandemic also brought unexpected benefits, such as a reduction in logistical expenses, and the creation of new opportunities for participation. This study adds to the growing body of literature regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the research community. Additionally, it comments on the adaptation of participatory action research methods for added sustainability and social inclusion in the face of global crises.

Frontline Perspectives from the Implementation of Evidenced-Informed Interventions to Improve Behavioral Health and HIV Outcomes Among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States.

The perspectives and contributions of frontline staff are critical to the success of integrated HIV and behavioral health services in the United States (US). In this analytic essay, we share five key priority areas from frontline staff at four diverse sites funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to support the implementation of interventions to improve HIV and behavioral health outcomes among Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) living with HIV. The five main priorities focused on: (1) COVID-19 pandemic adaptations; (2) recruitment/enrollment; (3) retention; (4) frontline self-care; and (5) replication considerations. Projects had to be nimble and innovative in their delivery of services; leverage existing infrastructure; and they had to try multiple approaches to reach BMSM and modify/drop them as needed. Future implementers should expect to support frontline staff self-care given the added stress of working under COVID-19 pandemic conditions and in communities with limited and uncoordinated behavioral health services.

Voices of Children on Movement Behaviours in the Early Years: Reflections from Six Diverse Country Settings

Little is currently known about young children's perceptions and experiences of 24-hour movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep), yet their voices play an important role in contributing to our understanding and ensuring that appropriate action is taken to promote healthy behaviours. With the release of the World Health Organisation's Guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behaviours and sleep for children under 5 years of age, interest is gathering to examine how young children globally perceive and experience these movement behaviours in their daily lives. Conducting qualitative research with young children, however, presents a host of challenges including identifying suitable methods (interview type), developing appropriate questions (terminology, translation), building rapport (presence of caregivers/educators, incentives), and managing power dynamics, while adjusting to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Additional layers of complexity come into play when conducting an international study across culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse populations. This article describes the reflections of our research group as we considered the effect of diverse contextual influences in Australia, Chile, China, India, Morocco and South Africa, on how movement behaviours are conceptualised by young children. The complexities of working across these diverse contexts is discussed and the implications this has for methodological decisions and data interpretation are reflected upon. While the WHO Guidelines (2019) are universal, globally young children experience considerable differences in how their days are structured, along a continuum of highly supervised to independent play, with varying degrees of agency to make choices regarding their experience of movement behaviours. This suggests the need for a nuanced approach in how we further research and address movement behaviours across different country contexts, taking into consideration social and cultural norms. © The Author(s) 2023.

Older adults' perspectives of physical distancing and the community center

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to describe older adults' perceptions of loneliness, quality of life and connection to their community center during physical distancing to inform classes and events during COVID-19. A descriptive, mixed methods study using online and telephone surveys was conducted with 265 older adults in a major Canadian city. Older adults reported a lower quality of life and community connection and a greater sense of loneliness, however resilience emerged as a strong theme. Participants identified regular physical exercise, connection to others through technology and a philosophical approach to events and life as ways of coping with physical distancing. Community centers need to actively continue to innovate with technology, classes and events and provide regular, supportive communication with members during COVID-19 and beyond. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Perceptions and Use of Telehealth Among Diverse Communities: Multisite Community-Engaged Mixed Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Telehealth has been increasingly adopted by health care systems since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although telehealth may provide convenience for patients and clinicians, there are several barriers to accessing it and using it effectively to provide high-quality patient care. OBJECTIVE: This study was part of a larger multisite community-engaged study conducted to understand the impact of COVID-19 on diverse communities. The work described here explored the perceptions of and experience with telehealth use among diverse and underserved community members during COVID-19. METHODS: We used mixed methods across three regions in the United States (Midwest, Arizona, and Florida) from January to November 2021. We promoted our study through social media and community partnerships, disseminating flyers in English and Spanish. We developed a moderator guide and conducted focus groups in English and Spanish, mostly using a videoconferencing platform. Participants were placed in focus groups with others who shared similar demographic attributes and geographic location. Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed. We analyzed our qualitative data using the framework analytic approach. We developed our broader survey using validated scales and with input from community and scientific leaders, which was then distributed through social media in both English and Spanish. We included a previously published questionnaire that had been used to assess perceptions about telehealth among patients with HIV. We analyzed our quantitative data using SAS software and standard statistical approaches. We examined the effect of region, age, ethnicity/race, and education on the use and perceptions of telehealth. RESULTS: We included data from 47 focus groups. Owing to our mode of dissemination, we were not able to calculate a response rate for the survey. However, we received 3447 English-language and 146 Spanish-language responses. Over 90% of participants had internet access and 94% had used telehealth. Approximately half of all participants agreed or strongly agreed that telehealth would be beneficial in the future because it better fit their schedules and they would not need to travel. However, approximately half of the participants also agreed or strongly agreed they would not be able to express themselves well and could not be examined when using telehealth. Indigenous participants were especially concerned about these issues when compared to other racial groups. CONCLUSIONS: This work describes findings from a mixed methods community-engaged research study about telehealth, including perceived benefits and concerns. Although participants enjoyed the benefits of telehealth (eg, not having to travel and easier scheduling), they also had concerns (eg, not being able to express themselves well and not having a physical exam) about telehealth. These sentiments were especially notable among the Indigenous population. Our work highlights the importance of fully understanding the impact of these novel health delivery modalities on the patient experience and actual or perceived quality of care received.

Reflections From Implementing a Virtual Social Innovation Lab

Qualitative research methods had to quickly adapt to using online platforms due to the COVID-19 pandemic to limit in-person interactions. Online platforms have been used extensively for interviews and focus groups, but workshops with larger groups requiring more complex interactions have not been widely implemented. This paper presents a case study of a fully virtual social innovation lab on bioplastics packaging, which was adapted from a series of in-person workshops. A positive outcome of the online setting was diversifying the types of participants who could participate. Highly interactive activities such as icebreakers, networking, bricolage, and prototyping were particularly challenging to shift from in-person to online using traditional web conferencing platforms like Zoom. Creative use of online tools, such as Gather.Town and Kahoot!, helped unlock more innovative thinking by employing novel techniques such as gamification. However, challenges such as adapting facilitation for an online environment and exclusion of groups that do not have consistent access to internet and/or computers still need to be addressed. The reflections and lessons learned from this paper can help researchers adapt qualitative methods to virtual environments. © The Author(s) 2023.

Poster: Preliminary Outcomes of a Culturally Tailored Mindfulness Mobile App for Mental Health within Underserved African American Communities During COVID-19

This poster presents preliminary findings from a study in progress, which indicate that a specially-designed mobile app can serve as a viable delivery system for a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention for historically underserved and minority communities experiencing mental health effects of worry and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our early data suggest that the app is well-received and usable for the target population and serves as an effective delivery platform for MBSR interventions for underserved and minority communities. © 2022 ACM.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Needs Experienced by Indigenous People in Urban Areas

The world was caught off guard by the swift spread of the COVID19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020. For vulnerable populations such as the urban Indigenous, the first wave of the pandemic was even more challenging, for multiple reasons. Because many of their usual culturally safe services were interrupted, they found themselves struggling on different levels. Our team conducted a needs assessment to shed light on how urban Indigenous people living in the Saugenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region in the province of Quebec, Canada, dealt with this situation, and what holistic health services they most wished they could have relied on. To respect Indigenous culture, data collection was completed through sharing circles in addition to a web-based survey. The results indicated that participants experienced anxiety and psychological distress during the pandemic. They identified unmet needs related to family services, support in homeschooling, access to traditional medicine, and spiritual and cultural practices, among others. Future work should involve the implementation of culturally safe services, adapted to the pandemic era, for Indigenous people living in urban areas.

Disruptions of sexually transmitted and blood borne infections testing services during the COVID-19 pandemic: accounts of service providers in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 in Canada, the availability of sexual health services including sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) testing has been negatively impacted in the province of Ontario due to their designation as "non-essential" health services. As a result, many individuals wanting to access sexual healthcare continued to have unmet sexual health needs throughout the pandemic. In response to this, sexual health service providers have adopted alternative models of testing, such as virtual interventions and self-sampling/testing. Our objective was to investigate service providers' experiences of disruptions to STBBI testing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada, and their acceptability of alternative testing services. METHODS: Between October 2020-February 2021, we conducted semi-structured virtual focus groups (3) and in-depth interviews (11) with a diverse group of sexual health service providers (n = 18) including frontline workers, public health workers, sexual health nurses, physicians, and sexual health educators across Ontario. As part of a larger community-based research study, data collection and analysis were led by three Peer Researchers and a Community Advisory Board was consulted throughout the research process. Transcripts were transcribed verbatim and analysed with NVivo software following grounded theory. RESULTS: Service providers identified the reallocation of public health resources and staff toward COVID-19 management, and closures, reduced hours, and lower in-person capacities at sexual health clinics as the causes for a sharp decline in access to sexual health testing services. Virtual and self-sampling interventions for STBBI testing were adopted to increase service capacity while reducing risks of COVID-19 transmission. Participants suggested that alternative models of testing were more convenient, accessible, safe, comfortable, cost-effective, and less onerous compared to traditional clinic-based models, and that they helped fill the gaps in testing caused by the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Acceptability of virtual and self-sampling interventions for STBBI testing was high among service providers, and their lived experiences of implementing such services demonstrated their feasibility in the context of Ontario. There is a need to approach sexual health services as an essential part of healthcare and to sustain sexual health services that meet the needs of diverse individuals.

Reflections From Implementing a Virtual Social Innovation Lab

Qualitative research methods had to quickly adapt to using online platforms due to the COVID-19 pandemic to limit in-person interactions. Online platforms have been used extensively for interviews and focus groups, but workshops with larger groups requiring more complex interactions have not been widely implemented. This paper presents a case study of a fully virtual social innovation lab on bioplastics packaging, which was adapted from a series of in-person workshops. A positive outcome of the online setting was diversifying the types of participants who could participate. Highly interactive activities such as icebreakers, networking, bricolage, and prototyping were particularly challenging to shift from in-person to online using traditional web conferencing platforms like Zoom. Creative use of online tools, such as Gather.Town and Kahoot!, helped unlock more innovative thinking by employing novel techniques such as gamification. However, challenges such as adapting facilitation for an online environment and exclusion of groups that do not have consistent access to internet and/or computers still need to be addressed. The reflections and lessons learned from this paper can help researchers adapt qualitative methods to virtual environments. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining Safety While Discussing Suicide: Trauma Informed Research in an Online Focus Groups

Although trauma informed (TI) care has been well researched and is used in many disciplines, TI practices for research are less developed. In this article, we explore the use of TI practices when discussing the sensitive topic of suicide within an online focus group. Qualitative studies on rural suicide are sparse, even though the incidence of suicide is higher rurally than in urban areas. Rural communities are often close knit and stigma can be greater toward non-normative experiences such as mental illness and suicide. Due to the nature of rural communities, the trauma of suicide can affect many people. We conducted focus groups with rural community participants who had an interest in suicide prevention to explore the gaps in rural suicide research and the best methods for knowledge dissemination of existing research. Steps were taken to mitigate re-traumatization and/or severe distress in the participants through a TI research approach. An online video conferencing platform became necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The online features promoted safety and transparency by: enabling participants to turn off camera and microphone if they became distressed, allowing them time to self-regulate until feeling sufficiently safe to return to the focus group discussion;leaving the discussion at any time with little disruption;and being able to choose a comfortable place to join the discussion. Other TI activities included ensuring ongoing consent throughout the process, recruiting through a third party to enhance safety, having support resource lists tailored to the region, and encouraging participants to share and debrief final thoughts. A number of participants commented on feeling safe within the environment of the focus group. Limitations included challenges identifying distress online and technological difficulties associated with rural internet services. To our knowledge, this is the first article using a TI approach for discussing suicide through an online method. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Older Adults’ Perspectives of Physical Distancing and the Community Center

The purpose of this study was to describe older adults’ perceptions of loneliness, quality of life and connection to their community center during physical distancing to inform classes and events during COVID-19. A descriptive, mixed methods study using online and telephone surveys was conducted with 265 older adults in a major Canadian city. Older adults reported a lower quality of life and community connection and a greater sense of loneliness, however resilience emerged as a strong theme. Participants identified regular physical exercise, connection to others through technology and a philosophical approach to events and life as ways of coping with physical distancing. Community centers need to actively continue to innovate with technology, classes and events and provide regular, supportive communication with members during COVID-19 and beyond. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Developing an equitable intervention approach for communities of color: mental health and co-occurring physical health concerns in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated disparities in mental health treatment for people of color in the USA. Meeting the needs of those most burdened by this disparity will require swift and tactical action in partnership with these communities. The purpose of this paper is to describe how a community-based participatory research approach was employed to assess the priorities and needs of four communities of color (African immigrant, Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and Pacific Islander) in a major U.S. city. A brief quantitative survey devised jointly by community leaders and the research team was deployed to community members (N = 59) in the fall of 2020. The most endorsed mental health issues across the communities were excessive worry (51%) and stress regarding COVID-19, racism, and immigration policies (49%). The most endorsed physical health concerns included sleep difficulties (44%), headaches, and backaches (each 39%). Physical symptoms predicted the endorsement of a mental health issue above and beyond COVID-19-related hardships, multiplying the odds of reporting an issue by 1.73 per physical health concern endorsed. Based on these findings, the community-research team conceptualized and proposed an evidence-based, effectiveness-implementation hybrid type-2 intervention approach for chronic worry and daily stress. This paper highlights detail on how the community-research team arrived at the proposed multilevel intervention that addresses community-stated barriers to mental health treatment (e.g., preferring trusted health workers to deliver emotional health treatments) and considers the burden of the additional stressful context of COVID-19.

Diverse community members and university researchers collaborated on the development of an equitable intervention approach for community members' mental health needs.

Centering equity and lived experience: implementing a community-based research grant on cannabis and mental health.

BACKGROUND: Mental health research in Canada is not only underfunded but there remains an inequitable distribution of funding to address unmet needs especially in clinical and applied research. In 2018, the legalization of cannabis for non-medical use in Canada sparked the need to examine the relationship between cannabis use and mental health. The federal government allocated $10 M over 5 years to the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), a pan-Canadian health organization funded at arm's length by the federal government. METHODS: In 2020, the MHCC implemented an innovative community-based research (CBR) program to investigate this relationship among priority populations including people who use cannabis and live with mental illness, First Nations, Inuit and Métis, two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and/or queer (2SLGBTQ+) individuals, and racialized populations. Extensive consultations, a scoping review and an environmental scan set the research agenda. Key program components included a review committee with representation from diverse priority populations, extensive proposal-writing support for applicants, and capacity bridging workshops for the 14 funded projects. RESULTS: Of the 14 funded research projects, 6 focus on and are led by Indigenous communities, 5 focus on other equity-seeking populations, and 9 explore the perceived patterns, influence and effects of use including benefits and harms. Lessons learned include the importance of a health equity lens and diverse sources of knowledge setting the CBR research agenda. In addition to capacity bridging that promote equitable roles among knowledge co-producers as well as the critical role of organizational support in increasing research productivity, especially in the area of mental health and cannabis use where there is a need for more applied research. CONCLUSION: Centering equity and lived and living experience strengthened the rationale for investments and ensured user-led evidence generation and utilization - a key public health gain. Organizational support for proposal development and capacity bridging yields significant value that can be replicated in future CBR initiatives.

Reflecting on COVID-19 for integrated perspectives on local and regional food systems vulnerabilities

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted multiple vulnerabilities and issues around local and regional food systems, presenting valuable opportunities to reflect on these issues and lessons on how to increase local/regional resilience. Using the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) in Canada as a case study, this research employs integrated planning perspectives, incorporating comprehensive-systems, regional, place-based, and temporal considerations, to (1) reflect upon the challenges and vulnerabilities that COVID-19 has revealed about local and regional food systems, and (2) examine what these reflections and insights illustrate with respect to the needs for and gaps in local/regional resilience against future exogenous shocks. The study used a community-based participatory approach to engage local and regional government, stakeholders, and community members living and working in the FVRD. Methods consisted of a series of online workshops, where participants identified impacts related to the food production, processing, distribution, access, and/or governance response components of the local and regional food systems and whether these impacts were short-term (under 3 months), medium-term (3 to 12 months), or long-term (over 1 year) in nature. Findings from the study revealed that food systems and their vulnerabilities are complex, including changes in food access and preparation behaviours, lack of flexibility in institutional policies for making use of local food supply, cascading effects due to stresses on social and public sector services, and inequities with respect to both food security impacts and strategies/services for addressing these impacts. Outcomes from this research demonstrate how including comprehensive-systems, regional, place-based, and temporal considerations in studies on food systems vulnerabilities can generate useful insights for local and regional resiliency planning.

Use of Community Engagement Studios to Adapt a Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study of Social Incentives and Physical Activity for the STEP Together Study.

Physical activity is known to contribute to good health, but most adults in the United States do not meet recommended physical activity guidelines. Social incentive interventions that leverage insights from behavioral economics have increased physical activity in short-term trials, but there is limited evidence of their effectiveness in community settings or their long-term effectiveness. The STEP Together study is a Hybrid Type 1 effectiveness-implementation study to address these evidence and implementation gaps. This paper describes the process of adapting study procedures prior to the effectiveness trial using Community Engagement (CE) Studios, facilitated meetings during which community members provide feedback on research projects. Six CE Studios were held with community members from the priority population. They were conducted remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifteen liaisons representing 13 community organizations and 21 community members from different neighborhoods in Philadelphia participated. Three elements of the study design were modified based on feedback from the CE Studios: lowering the age requirement for an 'older adult', clarifying the definition of family members to include second-degree relatives, and adding a 6-month survey. These adaptations will improve the fit of the effectiveness trial to the local context and improve participant engagement and retention. CE Studios can be used to adapt intervention strategies and other aspects of study design during hybrid implementation-effectiveness trials. This approach was successfully used with remote online participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and serves as a model for future community-engaged implementation research.

COVID-19 Preventive Measures in Northern California Jails: Perceived Deficiencies, Barriers, and Unintended Harms.

Background: Carceral facilities are high-risk settings for COVID-19 transmission. Little is known about the hidden burden of infection or practical barriers to infection control in these settings, especially in jails. There is also limited research on the mental health impacts of the pandemic among people living and working in carceral facilities. Methods: Between July 8, 2020 and April 30, 2021, we performed SARS-CoV-2 rapid antibody testing and administered a questionnaire among residents and staff of four Northern California jails. We utilized multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for demographic and carceral characteristics, to analyze factors associated with prior infection, including perceived likelihood of prior infection and access to new masks. We additionally assessed the implementation of, perceptions toward, and impacts of COVID-19 policies in practice. We engaged stakeholder representatives, including incarcerated individuals, to guide study design, procedures, and results interpretation. Results: We enrolled 788 jail residents and 380 jail staff. Nearly half of residents and two-thirds of staff who were antibody-positive had not previously tested positive for COVID-19. Among residents without a prior COVID-19 diagnosis, antibody positivity was significantly associated with perceived likelihood of prior infection (adjusted OR = 8.9; 95% CI, 3.6-22.0). Residents who had flu-like illness in jail cited inadequate responses to reported illness and deterrents to symptom reporting, including fears of medical isolation and perceptions of medical neglect. Residents also disclosed deficient access to face masks, which was associated with antibody positivity (adjusted OR = 13.8, 95% CI, 1.8-107.0). Worsened mental health was pervasive among residents, attributed not only to fear of COVID-19 and unsanitary jail conditions but also to intensified isolation and deprivation due to pandemic restrictions on in-person visitation, programs, and recreation time. Conclusion: Carceral settings present significant challenges to maintaining infection control and human rights. Custody officials should work diligently to transform the conditions of medical isolation, which could mitigate deterrents to symptom reporting. Furthermore, they should minimize use of restrictive measures like lockdowns and suspension of visitation that exacerbate the mental health harms of incarceration. Instead, custody officials should ensure comprehensive implementation of other preventive strategies like masking, testing, and vaccination, in conjunction with multisector efforts to advance decarceration.

EpidemiologiCal POpulatioN STudy of SARS-CoV-2 in Lake CounTy, Illinois (CONTACT): Methodology and Baseline Characteristics of a Community-Based Surveillance Study.

INTRODUCTION: EpidemiologiCal POpulatioN STudy of SARS-CoV-2 in Lake CounTy, Illinois (CONTACT) is an observational, epidemiological study with a 9-month longitudinal follow-up of nonhospitalized persons aged 18 years or older currently living or employed in Lake County, IL. We describe the study design and report baseline characteristics of the study participants, including the proportion of participants with acute or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection at enrollment. METHODS: At enrollment and subsequent timepoints, participants recruited through digital and paper-based advertising campaigns reported their occupational and school-based exposure, risk factors, and behaviors, and provided nasal and serum specimens. Stratified enrichment was used to enhance enrollment into medium- and higher-risk groups within four occupational risk groups for SARS-CoV-2 infection. RT-PCR and serologic (IgG) testing were conducted to detect acute or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in participants, respectively. RESULTS: Between November 2020 and January 2021, 1008 participants (female 70.7%, mean age ± SD 51 ± 13.8 years) completed the questionnaire and diagnostic testing. Among participants, 41.8% (n = 421) were considered low risk, 24.6% (n = 248) were medium-to-low risk, 22.3% (n = 225) were medium-to-high risk, and 11.3% (n = 114) were high risk. Of 56 (5.6%) participants with evidence of acute or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection at baseline, 11 (19.6%) were RT-PCR-positive, 36 (64.3%) were IgG-seropositive, and 9 (16.1%) were positive by both assays. Participants who were adherent vs nonadherent to social distancing measures (odds ratio [95% CI] 0.8 [0.4-1.8]) were less likely, while those in higher vs lower occupational risk groups (2.0 [1.0-4.4]) were more likely to have evidence for acute or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSION: In fall/winter 2020/21, 5.6% of adults in a Lake County convenience sample had evidence for acute or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection at baseline. Nonadherence to social distancing measures and high-risk professions were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study is ongoing and future analyses will assess infection status over time. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04611230.