Perceived COVID-19 risk and testing experiences in the San Ysidro U.S./Mexico border region.

Publisher: Oxford University Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101554668 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1613-9860 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 16139860 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Transl Behav Med Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2018- : [Oxford] : Oxford University Press
Original Publication: New York : Springer

COVID-19*/diagnosis ; COVID-19*/epidemiology ; COVID-19*/ethnology ; COVID-19*/psychology ; COVID-19 Testing*/statistics & numerical data ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*/ethnology ; Health Services Accessibility*/statistics & numerical data; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Mexican Americans/psychology ; Mexican Americans/statistics & numerical data ; California/epidemiology ; Risk ; Caregivers/statistics & numerical data ; Pregnancy ; Surveys and Questionnaires/statistics & numerical data

Racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 incidence are pronounced in underserved U.S./Mexico border communities. Working and living environments in these communities can lead to increased risk of COVID-19 infection and transmission, and this increased risk is exacerbated by lack of access to testing. As part of designing a community and culturally tailored COVID-19 testing program, we surveyed community members in the San Ysidro border region. The purpose of our study was to characterize knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of prenatal patients, prenatal caregivers, and pediatric caregivers at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FHQC) in the San Ysidro region regarding perceived risk of COVID-19 infection and access to testing. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect information on experiences accessing COVID-19 testing and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection within San Ysidro between December 29, 2020 and April 2, 2021. A total of 179 surveys were analyzed. Most participants identified as female (85%) and as Mexican/Mexican American (75%). Over half (56%) were between the age of 25 and 34 years old. Perceived Risk: 37% reported moderate to high risk of COVID-19 infection, whereas 50% reported their risk low to none. Testing Experience: Approximately 68% reported previously being tested for COVID-19. Among those tested, 97% reported having very easy or easy access to testing. Reasons for not testing included limited appointment availability, cost, not feeling sick, and concern about risk of infection while at a testing facility. This study is an important first step to understand the COVID-19 risk perceptions and testing access among patients and community members living near the U.S./Mexico border in San Ysidro, California.
(© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.)

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P42 ES010337 United States ES NIEHS NIH HHS; United States NH NIH HHS

Keywords: Access; COVID-19; Disease burden; Risk perception; Testing strategies; U.S./Mexico border
Local Abstract: [plain-language-summary] COVID-19 testing strategies that fail to incorporate culturally competent methods to reach traditionally underserved communities can lead to persistent transmission and increased infection rates. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, we surveyed 179 people living in a community with high burden of COVID-19 infection about their perception of infection risk and their experiences accessing testing. Capturing and understanding these community perceptions on COVID-19 risk are vital when developing a testing program that is accessible and appropriate for the target population. In our study, we found half of survey respondents thought their risk of COVID-19 infection as low to none and over half of respondents stated they had already been tested for COVID-19. These findings provide insight to the beliefs of individuals who live and seek health care in communities with high rates of COVID-19 infection and will help guide the design and implementation of culturally tailored testing strategies.

Date Created: 20230331 Date Completed: 20230711 Latest Revision: 20240515

20240515

PMC10314726

10.1093/tbm/ibac120

36999822