Examining the Association between Educational Attainment and COVID-19 At-Home Testing Practices in Atlanta's Black Communities Pubblico
Hamilton, Chante (Spring 2024)
Published
Abstract
Introduction: Racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African Americans, face disproportionate burden of adverse COVID-19 outcomes due to healthcare barriers, socioeconomic factors, and higher prevalence of chronic conditions. COVID-19 testing plays a critical role in mitigating these disparities, with at-home testing emerging as a convenient and empowering solution. However, understanding how educational attainment is associated with at- home testing adoption within African American communities remains a key research gap. This study aims to investigate this relationship in Atlanta, GA, to inform targeted interventions and promote health equity.
Methods: We analyzed baseline survey data from 565 participants of the Represent ATL 2.0 study to evaluate the acceptance and usage of COVID-19 rapid home testing kits. All participants were from Black communities in metro Atlanta. Participants received custom home test kits as part of a pre-post intervention study design. Baseline surveys assessed participant characteristics alongside behaviors, knowledge, attitudes, and testing experiences. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore relationships between educational attainment and COVID-19 testing attitudes and behaviors.
Results: In bivariate analyses, educational attainment was positively associated with previous use of COVID-19 home testing. Bivariate analyses also revealed a positive association between educational attainment and intent to use home COVID-19 testing. However, there was no statistically significant association between educational attainment and previous use of COVID- 19 home tests after controlling for other variables in multivariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, individuals with a bachelor's degree were more likely to intend to use COVID-19 home tests compared to those who had not completed any higher formal education (adjusted odds ratio: 3.0, p-value: 0.037).
Discussion: While education initially showed an association to home test use, adjusted analyses revealed complexity, with education alone not significantly impacting previous testing behavior. Leveraging successful vaccine education strategies may enhance home testing uptake. Targeted outreach and ongoing support for accessible testing options are needed for promoting proactive health behaviors.
Conclusion:
This research examines COVID-19 home testing behavior among Black African Americans in Atlanta, with a specific focus on the association with educational attainment. As more data on COVID-19 home testing becomes available, there will be opportunities to investigate attitudes and behaviors related to these tests.
Table of Contents
Abstract... 4
Introduction...6
Methods...9
Results...14
Discussion...16
Conclusion...19
References...20
Table 1: Characteristics of Baseline Survey Participants and Home Test History...23
Table 2: Characteristics of Baseline Survey Participants and Willingness to Home Test for COVID-19...24
Table 3: Characteristics of Baseline Survey Participants and Education Level...26
Table 4: Logistic Regression Model: Predicting previous use of COVID-19 home test based on education level, controlling for family income, vaccination status, affordability, and familiarity with a location to access COVID-19 home tests. (alpha = 0.05)...27
Table 5: Logistic Regression Model: Predicting likeliness to use COVID-19 home test based on education level, controlling for family income, vaccination status and familiarity with a location to access COVID-19 home tests. (alpha = 0.05)...28
About this Master's Thesis
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