Evaluating a Health Communication Campaign to Increase Long COVID Awareness and Knowledge Among Hispanic, Black, and Native Residents in Arizona

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted profound health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S., who suffered disproportionately from infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. One contributing factor is the lack of access to clear and culturally relevant health information. Moreover, data suggest that there is limited awareness and knowledge about long COVID, especially among racial and ethnic minorities. To address this gap, the Arizona Community Engagement Alliance (AZCEAL) launched a targeted health communication campaign focused on long COVID for Hispanic/Latinx, Black/African American, and Native/American Indian and Alaska Native communities in Arizona. The campaign utilized various channels including: (1) paid social media and website banners using a simple, core message in in English (“Lasting symptoms could mean long COVID”) and Spanish (“Síntomas persistentes podrían ser COVID prolongado”); (2) a 30-second radio ad spot played on traditional and streaming radio, both in English and Spanish; (3) an email to recipients selected from a double opt-in marketing database based on target criteria, both in English and Spanish; and (4) a brief interactive Long COVID Knowledge Check posted on the AZCEAL website. Images in the campaign were diverse, reflecting different genders (female, male), races/ethnicities (Black, Hispanic) and age groups (younger, older). The campaign ran for three months from January to March 2024. Overall, the long COVID health campaign reached over 1.4 million individuals in Arizona: 468,520 through social media and website banners, 801,491 through radio ads, 150,000 through email, and 9,656 through the website. The health communication campaign was evaluated through a pre-post survey with 51 community members gauging acceptability, trustworthiness, and effectiveness of the long COVID health communication materials. Community members were 31±13 years old, 51% female, 38% Black, 35% Hispanic, and 13% Native; 61% had an annual household income of less than $25,000 and 39% had a high school diploma or GED. Overall, participants strongly agreed or agreed that the campaign materials were relevant (84%), easy to understand (94%), and trustworthy (89%) with little variation across specific campaign materials. Following a pre-test and viewing the campaign materials, participants increased their knowledge of long COVID symptoms (t=3.63, p<.001), self-rated knowledge about long COVID (t=4.57, p<.001), and for those unvaccinated, willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine (t=3.71, p=.002) at the posttest. However, long COVID knowledge based on a series of true/false questions did not significantly increase at post-test (t=0.912, p=0.37). The findings suggest that tailored, culturally-relevant, multi-pronged health communication campaigns can effectively educate and engage minority populations. Short and simple core messages can increase knowledge and awareness of long COVID and a willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Increasing public awareness about long COVID is vital for comprehensive efforts to prevent its spread, address misinformation, and improve the quality of life and care for those affected. In conclusion, the AZCEAL's initiative highlights the importance of culturally-sensitive approaches in addressing health disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reaching out to minority communities with targeted messaging contributes to a more equitable healthcare landscape and aids in the collective effort to combat COVID-19 and its long-term effects.