This study evaluates the community-based health education program in improving earlytesting for COVID-19, increasing vaccination acceptability and enhancing emergencypreparedness and self-protection measures against COVID-19 in HK. We established apartnership with several local community stakeholders and they will be responsible forrecruiting participants and implementing educational programs. Half of the communitycollaborators will receive the core intervention package, and use it as educationmaterial. The other half will be encouraged to self-collect and send health informationto the participants.
This health education program is based on a Community-based Participants Research (CBPR)
approach, which is a partnership approach that equitably involves community members and
researchers in all aspects of the research process. Given the different cultural,
professional or living background of Hong Kong residents, we think this simple, flexible
and sustainable approach will effectively mitigate the COVID-19 risk in HK society,
An academic-community collaboration platform with several nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs), companies and schools will be established before this study. They will work
together to recruit participants, design and implement a series of educational programs
aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
Behavioral: Community-based Health Education based on core intervention package
Community-based Health Education will potentially include the following three components:
1. A manual of emergency preparedness and self-protection against COVID-19 infection.
The main content will include hand washing, mask wearing and social distancing
guidelines.
2. Early testing. Participants will be trained on how to recognize the early symptoms
of COVID-19 and appropriate practice to take in a response, and they will be
provided with testing resources.
3. Knowledge of vaccines and their benefits and resources for vaccination.
Collaborators should design and implement health programs based on the core intervention
package.
Behavioral: Health Information Sharing Group
Collaborators are encouraged to collect and share health information to the participants.
Shared information should be previewed by researchers.
For participants recruited by NGOs and companies, the Inclusion Criteria will be:
- HK resident aged 18 years or above;
- Agreement to participate in the study and provide written informed consent.
The Exclusion Criteria will be:
- Cognitive impairment that inhibits communication with the investigators;
- Inability or unwillingness to provide written informed consent.
For participants recruited by schools, the Inclusion Criteria will be:
- HK students aged 12 to 18 years and their parents.
The Exclusion Criteria will be:
- Cannot provide written informed consent (or assent for the younger students).
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Investigator: Yao Jie Xie, PhD
Contact: (852) 3400 3798
grace.yj.xie@polyu.edu.hk
Investigator: Yao Jie Xie, PhD
Yao Jie Xie, PhD
3400 3798 - 852
grace.yj.xie@poly.edu.hk
Yao Jie Xie, PhD, Principal Investigator
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University