Going virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic: adaptation of a mixed-methods dietary behavior study within a community-based participatory research study of African-American adults at risk for cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Background Identifying mechanisms to maintain CBPR studies during an infectious disease pandemic is vital. The current paper describes the changes in methods and processes conducted within a CBPR mixed-methods study to a virtual setting during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Method The DC Community Organizing for Optimal Culinary Knowledge study with Heart (DC COOKS with Heart) was designed to assess the feasibility of a dietary behavior intervention among African-American adults that are at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study is under the umbrella of an ongoing CBPR study and community advisory board that facilitates community involvement in study design and promotes ongoing engagement with community members and leaders. The study population for D.C. COOKS with Heart consists of adult African-American individuals who live in two low-resource neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., which were impacted disproportionately by COVID. Eligible study participants who previously participated in the DC CHOC community-based studies were contacted to participate in Phase 1. The quantitative part of the mixed-methods included survey data collection. Results Due to the pandemic, the mode of data collection for surveys changed from self-administered face-to-face to internet-based. All virtual study procedures were conducted between March and April, 2021. Anticipated benefits of the virtual setting included participant safety during the pandemic, ease of logistics for participants. Anticipated challenges included administration of electronic devices to participants, research team training, and potential threats to established trust related to the privacy and confidentiality of participants. Conclusion The transition to a virtual setting for study procedures in a mixed-methods study was conducted successfully in terms of recruitment, retention of participants, and training of research team members. The virtual transition required established and ongoing engagement through the community advisory board and CBPR practices, institutional support through virtual research policies, collaborations with information technology-based teams, and equipment administration for the study. Trials registration NCT04305431. Registered on March 12, 2020.

Best practices for engagement in remote participatory design: Mixed method analysis of four remote studies with family caregivers (Preprint)

“…Although analysis of remote PD is nascent, research on how remote settings affect community based participatory research (CBPR) is more advanced, and learnings may be applicable to PD [26,30,[37][38][39][40]. In CBPR, scientific researchers partner with community members, often from high-risk populations, to identify a health concern of interest to community members; build a deep, contextualized understanding of this concern; investigate and co-create potential interventions to address the concern; and, finally, disseminate and try to sustain these interventions within the community [41].…”

Assessing Acceptability: The Role of Understanding Participant, Neighborhood, and Community Contextual Factors in Designing a Community-Tailored Cooking Intervention

“…The expected site for the intervention is a community-based kitchen site. A detailed description for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of D.C. COOKS, including inclusion and exclusion criteria, is available in the published protocol paper [25,26]. Phase 1 of D.C. COOKS is designed to determine acceptability from community members who participated in moderated focus group sessions as well as a collection of surveys to assess demographic, cooking behavioral, health behavioral, and psychosocial factors.…”