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Background: Marshallese and Hispanic communities in the United States have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Identifying strategies to reach late vaccine adopters is critical for ongoing and future vaccination efforts. We utilized a community-engaged approach that leveraged an existing community-based participatory research collaborative of an academic healthcare organization and Marshallese and Hispanic faith-based organizations (FBO) to host vaccination events., Methods: Bilingual Marshallese and Hispanic study staff conducted informal interviews with 55 participants during the 15-minute post-vaccination observation period and formal semi-structured interviews with Marshallese (n = 5) and Hispanic (n = 4) adults post-event to assess the implementation of community vaccine events at FBOs, with a focus on factors associated with the decision to attend and be vaccinated. Formal interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic template coding categorized with the socio-ecological model (SEM). Informal interview notes were coded via rapid content analysis and used for data triangulation., Results: Participants discussed similar factors influencing attitudes and behaviors toward receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Themes included: (1) intrapersonal - myths and misconceptions, (2) interpersonal - protecting family and family decision-making, (3) community - trust of community location of events and influence of FBO members and leaders, (4) institutional - trust in a healthcare organization and bilingual staff, and (5) policy. Participants noted the advantages of vaccination delivery at FBOs, contributing to their decision to attend and get vaccinated., Conclusions: The following strategies may improve vaccine-related attitudes and behaviors of Marshallese and Hispanic communities not only for the COVID-19 vaccine but also for other preventive vaccinations: 1) interpersonal-level - develop culturally-focused vaccine campaigns targeting the family units, 2) community-level - host vaccination events at convenient and/or trusted locations, such as FBOs, and engage community and/or FBO formal or lay leaders as vaccine ambassadors or champions, and 3) institutional-level - foster trust and a long-term relationship with the healthcare organization and provide bilingual staff at vaccination events. Future research would be beneficial to investigate the effects of replicating these strategies to support vaccine uptake among Marshallese and Hispanic communities., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Hispanic communities in the United States have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and death. Vaccination against COVID-19 is critical for controlling the pandemic; however, higher levels of vaccine hesitancy and reduced vaccine uptake constrain efforts to mitigate the pandemic and could perpetuate disparities. The aim of this study was to understand barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccination through the lived experiences of Hispanic persons living in Arkansas., Methods: Bilingual community partners facilitated recruitment, made initial contact with potential participants, and scheduled interviews and focus groups. Individuals over the age of 18 who identified as Hispanic were invited to participate. Data was collected from 49 participants in 10 individual interviews and five focus groups. This study used a qualitative exploratory design and thematic analysis., Results: Five themes emerged as barriers for Hispanic participants: technological literacy and pre-registration, language and literacy, health insurance/health care costs, immigration status, and location and transportation. Three themes emerged as facilitators: workplace vaccination, health care provider recommendations, and engagement through schools., Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, a multi-modal and flexible approach will be implemented by the authors to address barriers to vaccine uptake among the Hispanic community in Arkansas., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The United States leads the world in confirmed COVID-19 cases; Arkansas ranks fifth in average daily cases per 100,000. Historically, Americans relied on health communications from governmental sources and the news media. However, there has been a documented decline of trust in these sources. The present study seeks to understand trusted sources of information about COVID-19 to improve health messaging because research shows the level of trust is associated with adherence to recommendations., Methods: Data were collected using an online survey from participants (N = 1221) who were 18 years of age or older and residing, employed, or accessing health care in Arkansas. A qualitative descriptive design was used to summarize participants' experiences and perceptions related to trusted sources of COVID-19 information., Results: Two primary themes related to participants' perceptions of sources of information about COVID-19 are reported: 1) trusted sources of information and 2) distrust or lack of trust in sources of information. Several subthemes emerged within each primary theme. Results showed high trust in the academic medical center, federal and state public health agencies, and local health care providers. The study also documents diverging voices of distrust and uncertainty in making sense of contradictory information. Participants reported the main reason for their lack of trust was the rapidly changing information and the lack of consistency in information provided across sources., Conclusions: This finding provides insight into the importance of coordination between national, state, and local communications to bolster trust. Personal recommendations and testimonies from trusted health care providers and professionals could inform public health messaging interventions to increase vaccine uptake., (© 2021. The Author(s).)