Challenges and lessons learned in recruiting participants for school-based disease prevention programs during COVID-19

Schools provide an ideal setting for delivery of disease prevention programs due to the ability to deliver health education and counseling, including health behavior interventions, to large numbers of students. However, the remote and hybrid learning models that arose during the coronavirus (COVID-1...

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Main Authors: Yelena P. Wu, Elise K. Brunsgaard, Nic Siniscalchi, Tammy Stump, Heather Smith, Douglas Grossman, Jakob Jensen, David B. Buller, Jennifer L. Hay, Jincheng Shen, Benjamin A. Haaland, Kenneth P. Tercyak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865424001467
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author Yelena P. Wu
Elise K. Brunsgaard
Nic Siniscalchi
Tammy Stump
Heather Smith
Douglas Grossman
Jakob Jensen
David B. Buller
Jennifer L. Hay
Jincheng Shen
Benjamin A. Haaland
Kenneth P. Tercyak
author_facet Yelena P. Wu
Elise K. Brunsgaard
Nic Siniscalchi
Tammy Stump
Heather Smith
Douglas Grossman
Jakob Jensen
David B. Buller
Jennifer L. Hay
Jincheng Shen
Benjamin A. Haaland
Kenneth P. Tercyak
author_sort Yelena P. Wu
collection DOAJ
description Schools provide an ideal setting for delivery of disease prevention programs due to the ability to deliver health education and counseling, including health behavior interventions, to large numbers of students. However, the remote and hybrid learning models that arose during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created obstacles to these efforts. In this article, we provide insights on collaborating with schools to deliver disease prevention programming during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in subsequent years. We illustrate these strategies by drawing upon our firsthand research experiences engaging high schools in a school-based cancer prevention trial focused on sun safety. Delivery of a cluster-randomized trial of a school-based skin cancer prevention program was initiated in the spring of 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. We present multilevel evaluation data on strategies used to reach schools remotely and share lessons learned that may inform similar approaches moving forward during times of crises. Although the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted school-based recruitment for this trial, enrollment improved one year later and did not appear to differ between rural and urban schools. Recruitment strategies and trial-related procedures were modified to address new challenges brought about by the pandemic. Despite the COVID-19 crisis altering US classrooms, disease prevention programming can continue to be offered within schools, given close community partnerships and new adaptations to the ways in which such programming and research are conducted.
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spelling doaj-art-9e5207ec385a467baac150fde5f2fe1f2024-12-18T08:49:58ZengElsevierContemporary Clinical Trials Communications2451-86542024-12-0142101399Challenges and lessons learned in recruiting participants for school-based disease prevention programs during COVID-19Yelena P. Wu0Elise K. Brunsgaard1Nic Siniscalchi2Tammy Stump3Heather Smith4Douglas Grossman5Jakob Jensen6David B. Buller7Jennifer L. Hay8Jincheng Shen9Benjamin A. Haaland10Kenneth P. Tercyak11Cancer Control and Population Sciences Division, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Utah, HELIX Bldg. 5050, 30 N Mario Capecchi Dr., Salt Lake City, UT, 84103, USA; Corresponding author. Circle of Hope Dr, Rm 4509, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.Cancer Control and Population Sciences Division, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Utah, HELIX Bldg. 5050, 30 N Mario Capecchi Dr., Salt Lake City, UT, 84103, USACancer Control and Population Sciences Division, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USACancer Control and Population Sciences Division, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Utah, HELIX Bldg. 5050, 30 N Mario Capecchi Dr., Salt Lake City, UT, 84103, USASchool of Medicine, University of Utah, 30 N 1900 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USACancer Control and Population Sciences Division, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Utah, HELIX Bldg. 5050, 30 N Mario Capecchi Dr., Salt Lake City, UT, 84103, USACancer Control and Population Sciences Division, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA; Department of Communication, University of Utah, 255 S Central Campus Dr., Rm 2400, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USAKlein Buendel, Inc., 1667 Cole Blvd STE 220, Lakewood, CO, 80401, USAMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY, 10065, USACancer Control and Population Sciences Division, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA; Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah, Williams Building, Room 1N410, 295 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, 84112, Utah, USACancer Control and Population Sciences Division, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA; Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah, Williams Building, Room 1N410, 295 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, 84112, Utah, USAGeorgetown Lombardi Cancer Center, Georgetown University, 3800 Reservoir Rd NW, Washington DC., 20007, USASchools provide an ideal setting for delivery of disease prevention programs due to the ability to deliver health education and counseling, including health behavior interventions, to large numbers of students. However, the remote and hybrid learning models that arose during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created obstacles to these efforts. In this article, we provide insights on collaborating with schools to deliver disease prevention programming during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in subsequent years. We illustrate these strategies by drawing upon our firsthand research experiences engaging high schools in a school-based cancer prevention trial focused on sun safety. Delivery of a cluster-randomized trial of a school-based skin cancer prevention program was initiated in the spring of 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. We present multilevel evaluation data on strategies used to reach schools remotely and share lessons learned that may inform similar approaches moving forward during times of crises. Although the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted school-based recruitment for this trial, enrollment improved one year later and did not appear to differ between rural and urban schools. Recruitment strategies and trial-related procedures were modified to address new challenges brought about by the pandemic. Despite the COVID-19 crisis altering US classrooms, disease prevention programming can continue to be offered within schools, given close community partnerships and new adaptations to the ways in which such programming and research are conducted.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865424001467SchoolRandomized-controlled trialSkin cancerPreventionYouths
spellingShingle Yelena P. Wu
Elise K. Brunsgaard
Nic Siniscalchi
Tammy Stump
Heather Smith
Douglas Grossman
Jakob Jensen
David B. Buller
Jennifer L. Hay
Jincheng Shen
Benjamin A. Haaland
Kenneth P. Tercyak
Challenges and lessons learned in recruiting participants for school-based disease prevention programs during COVID-19
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications
School
Randomized-controlled trial
Skin cancer
Prevention
Youths
title Challenges and lessons learned in recruiting participants for school-based disease prevention programs during COVID-19
title_full Challenges and lessons learned in recruiting participants for school-based disease prevention programs during COVID-19
title_fullStr Challenges and lessons learned in recruiting participants for school-based disease prevention programs during COVID-19
title_full_unstemmed Challenges and lessons learned in recruiting participants for school-based disease prevention programs during COVID-19
title_short Challenges and lessons learned in recruiting participants for school-based disease prevention programs during COVID-19
title_sort challenges and lessons learned in recruiting participants for school based disease prevention programs during covid 19
topic School
Randomized-controlled trial
Skin cancer
Prevention
Youths
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865424001467
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