Health Education for COVID-19 Prevention in Early Learning

Overseen By Miriana Duran

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Washington

Disqualifiers: Not in Yakima program

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how comic books and videos can teach young children and their parents about preventing COVID-19 through health education. The goal is to determine if these tools can improve behaviors such as wearing masks, maintaining distance, testing, and getting vaccinated. It targets families with children aged 3-5 in the Early Learning Program in the Yakima School District. Participants must communicate in English or Spanish and provide contact information to receive materials. As an unphased trial, this study offers families a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative educational strategies that could enhance community health.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems unlikely since the study focuses on health education for COVID-19 prevention.

What prior data suggests that this health education intervention is safe for young children?

Research shows that health education is safe and easy to manage. It poses no physical risks, as it primarily involves sharing information through comic books and videos. One study found that people who received health education developed better attitudes and behaviors towards preventing COVID-19. This indicates the program encourages positive changes without causing harm. Since this approach avoids drugs or medical procedures, it lacks the usual side effects of other treatments. In this trial, young children and their parents will learn about COVID-19 safety, providing a safe and effective way to promote health. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores an innovative way to promote COVID-19 prevention in young children through engaging health education. Unlike traditional methods that rely on verbal instruction or written guidelines, this approach uses comic books for students and videos for parents to convey the importance of preventive measures. By making health education fun and accessible, it aims to increase understanding and adoption of preventive behaviors, potentially leading to better outcomes in community health.

What evidence suggests that health education is effective for COVID-19 prevention in young children?

Research has shown that learning about health can greatly improve COVID-19 prevention. One study found that individuals who received health education were more likely to wear masks and practice social distancing than those who did not. This suggests that providing clear information about the benefits of these actions can significantly impact behavior. Another study confirmed that when people understand and follow public health advice, it helps stop the spread of COVID-19. In this trial, the intervention arm will use tools like comic books and videos to teach young children and their parents, making it easier for them to learn and apply these safety measures. The World Health Organization also highlights the importance of this type of education in keeping communities safe. ^{4 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Linda Ko, PhD, MPH

Principal Investigator

University of Washington

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for parents with children aged 3-5 enrolled in the Early Learning Program in Yakima School District. Parents must have a mailing or email address, speak English or Spanish, and be able to give informed consent.

Inclusion Criteria

Must be able to provide informed consent and legal guardian assent either virtually, on the telephone, or in-person

Must have a child attending the Early Learning Program in the Yakima School District

Must have a permanent mailing address available for study staff to mail necessary materials OR a working email address

Exclusion Criteria

Not in Early Learning program in Yakima School District

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Students receive comic books and parents receive videos on COVID-19 preventive measures

4 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for school absenteeism due to symptoms of respiratory illness

5 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Health Education

Trial Overview The study tests the impact of health education through comic books and videos on COVID-19 preventive behaviors among young students and their parents.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The students in this arm will receive comic books and their parents videos on the benefits of preventive measures of COVID-19

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Washington

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,858

Recruited

2,023,000+

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Collaborator

Trials

2,103

Recruited

2,760,000+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9423125/

Effectiveness of public health measures in reducing ... To review the evidence on the effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality.

2. humanfactors.jmir.org humanfactors.jmir.org/2023/1/e39919/

Perceived Effectiveness of COVID-19 Preventive Practices ... This study aims to examine the role of perceived effectiveness of COVID-19 preventive behaviors, perceived susceptibility, perceived threat, and perceived ...

3. who.int who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

Advice for the public: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) This page includes advice from WHO on ways to protect yourself and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755436524000239

Effectiveness of interventions to reduce COVID-19 ... We find that monthly asymptomatic screening coupled with the 10-day isolation and quarantine period is expected to avert 55.4% of infections while increasing ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9707712/

Effects of a Health Education Intervention for COVID-19 ... The primary hypothesized outcome was greater endorsement of COVID-19 preventive attitudes and behaviors among those who received health education than among ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11721185/

Cancer-related health behaviors during the COVID 19 ... 65% of respondents reported three or more days of physical activity per week in the last 30 days, and 35% reported less physical activity during the COVID-19 ...

7. cdc.gov cdc.gov/nccdphp/priorities/covid-19.html

COVID-19 and Chronic Disease Prevention and Interventions People with chronic diseases are often at high risk for poor health outcomes during public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

8. nam.edu nam.edu/perspectives/public-health-covid-19-impact-assessment-lessons-learned-and-compelling-needs/

Public Health COVID-19 Impact Assessment This discussion paper seeks to examine the public health sector's experience during COVID-19, exploring how legacy systems and policies shaped the sector's ...

9. elifesciences.org elifesciences.org/collections/104e5304/special-issue-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-cancer-prevention-control-care-and-survivorship

Special Issue: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ... A twofold increased risk of adverse outcomes (mortality, ICU admission, and severity of COVID-19) has been demonstrated in unvaccinated COVID-19 ...