6798 North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, North Carolina State University, Asheville, NC, USA.
1801 Department of Geography and Planning, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA.
Public Health Rep. 2021 May;136(3):327-337. doi: 10.1177/0033354921990372. Epub 2021 Feb 18.
Few US studies have examined the usefulness of participatory surveillance during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for enhancing local health response efforts, particularly in rural settings. We report on the development and implementation of an internet-based COVID-19 participatory surveillance tool in rural Appalachia.
A regional collaboration among public health partners culminated in the design and implementation of the COVID-19 Self-Checker, a local online symptom tracker. The tool collected data on participant demographic characteristics and health history. County residents were then invited to take part in an automated daily electronic follow-up to monitor symptom progression, assess barriers to care and testing, and collect data on COVID-19 test results and symptom resolution.
Nearly 6500 county residents visited and 1755 residents completed the COVID-19 Self-Checker from April 30 through June 9, 2020. Of the 579 residents who reported severe or mild COVID-19 symptoms, COVID-19 symptoms were primarily reported among women (n = 408, 70.5%), adults with preexisting health conditions (n = 246, 70.5%), adults aged 18-44 (n = 301, 52.0%), and users who reported not having a health care provider (n = 131, 22.6%). Initial findings showed underrepresentation of some racial/ethnic and non-English-speaking groups.
This low-cost internet-based platform provided a flexible means to collect participatory surveillance data on local changes in COVID-19 symptoms and adapt to guidance. Data from this tool can be used to monitor the efficacy of public health response measures at the local level in rural Appalachia.
很少有美国研究调查 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间参与式监测对于加强当地卫生应对工作的有用性，特别是在农村地区。我们报告了在阿巴拉契亚农村地区开发和实施基于互联网的 COVID-19 参与式监测工具的情况。
公共卫生合作伙伴之间的区域合作最终设计并实施了 COVID-19 自我检查器，这是一种本地在线症状跟踪器。该工具收集了参与者人口统计学特征和健康史的数据。然后邀请县居民参加自动每日电子随访，以监测症状进展、评估护理和检测障碍，并收集 COVID-19 检测结果和症状缓解数据。
从 2020 年 4 月 30 日至 6 月 9 日，近 6500 名县居民访问了该网站，1755 名居民完成了 COVID-19 自我检查器。在报告有严重或轻度 COVID-19 症状的 579 名居民中，COVID-19 症状主要报告于女性（n = 408，70.5%）、有既往健康状况的成年人（n = 246，70.5%）、18-44 岁的成年人（n = 301，52.0%）和报告没有医疗保健提供者的用户（n = 131，22.6%）。初步结果表明，某些种族/族裔和非英语使用者群体代表性不足。
这个低成本的互联网平台提供了一种灵活的方法，可以收集关于 COVID-19 症状在当地变化的参与式监测数据，并适应指导意见。该工具的数据可用于监测农村阿巴拉契亚地区地方一级公共卫生应对措施的效果。
