Trial results for a program aimed at increasing COVID-19 testing in the Black/African American community were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-01-02. The study enrolled 327 participants and identified factors associated with testing uptake.
Background
COVID-19 testing has been a critical tool for disease surveillance and control. Disparities in testing uptake have been observed across various communities, highlighting the need for targeted interventions. For the Black/African American community, barriers to testing can include mistrust in healthcare systems, lack of accessible information, and practical challenges. Culturally relevant approaches, such as leveraging community leaders and tailored communication, are explored as strategies to address these disparities and improve public health outcomes.
Trial design
This completed study enrolled 327 participants with COVID-19. The program, titled "Culturally-relevant Community Connections (C3) to Increase COVID-19 Testing," aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 testing among members of the Black/African American community. It also examined the use of culturally relevant edutainment video messaging combined with trusted opinion leaders as a strategy to increase COVID-19 testing.
Key results
The trial results included several key measurements and analyses:
- The number of participants with completed COVID-19 tests in the Culturally-relevant Community Connections (C3) group was 73 participants.
- The mean score on the COVID-19 Testing Decision-Making Scale (CTDMS) General Sentiment (GS) Subscale was 2.41 (Standard Deviation 0.93).
- The mean score on the Video Feedback Scale (VFS) was 4.27 (Standard Deviation 0.64).
- The mean score on the COVID-19 Testing Decision-Making Scale (CTDMS) Practical Support (PS) Subscale was 3.68 (Standard Deviation 0.80).
Key analyses using logistic regression revealed several significant associations:
- An Odds Ratio (OR) of 2.19 (95.0% CI: 1.21 to 3.98) was observed with a p-value of 0.05.
- Higher General Sentiment (GS) scores were associated with a greater likelihood of COVID-19 testing uptake, with an OR of 1.81 (95.0% CI: 1.35 to 2.41) and a p-value of 0.001.
- Higher VFS scores were associated with increased likelihood of test uptake, with an OR of 3.54 (95.0% CI: 2.01 to 6.2) and a p-value of 0.001.
- Higher VFS scores were also associated with increased likelihood of completion of a follow-up test, showing an OR of 11.01 (95.0% CI: 1.27 to 95.17) and a p-value of 0.029.
- Higher Practical Support (PS) scores were associated with a greater likelihood of COVID-19 testing uptake, with an OR of 1.69 (95.0% CI: 1.19 to 2.4) and a p-value of 0.003.
What this means
The results suggest that culturally-relevant interventions can positively influence COVID-19 testing behaviors. Specifically, higher general sentiment towards testing, positive feedback on video messaging, and perceived practical support are significantly associated with increased likelihood of testing uptake. The strong association of higher VFS scores with increased likelihood of test uptake (OR 3.54, p=0.001) and follow-up test completion (OR 11.01, p=0.029) highlights the potential effectiveness of culturally relevant edutainment videos. These findings indicate that tailored communication and community engagement strategies can be effective in addressing disparities and promoting public health actions for COVID-19 in specific communities.
Source
The information for these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT05918952, titled "RADx-UP CDCC Rapid Research Pilot Program "Culturally-relevant Community Connections (C3) to Increase COVID-19 Testing", were posted on 2026-01-02 on clinicaltrials.gov.