Gill Emily, Hall Zora, Thorpe Lorna E, Williams Natasha J, Anastasiou Elle, Bendik Stefanie, Punter Malcolm, Reiss Jeremy, Shelley Donna, Bragg Marie
Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States.
Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jun 23;13:1484473. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1484473. eCollection 2025.
As part of an initiative to increase COVID-19 testing uptake among underserved populations, we conducted focus groups to explore experiences and attitudes related to testing in two understudied groups-young adults and socially-isolated older adults-recruited from residents living in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing developments.
In June through November 2022, we conducted eight virtual focus groups with 21 young adults and 11 older adults living in NYCHA ( = 32 total). To identify themes, we conducted a rapid qualitative analysis approach.
Residents discussed four overarching themes: (1) trusted COVID-19 information sources; (2) reasons for testing; (3) barriers to testing, and (4) strategies to increase testing uptake. Findings were similar across the two age groups; both cited multiple sources of information, including major media outlets, government or public health officials, and doctors. Young adults were more likely to access information from social media despite concerns about misinformation. Participants identified several barriers to testing, such as long lines, insurance coverage, and cost. Young adults reported that at-home COVID testing was more convenient, while older adults expressed concern about accuracy and administering the tests themselves. Recommendations for improving testing emphasized easier access via a central well-known location, in-home visits, free or low-cost tests, and increased outreach.
Mainstream media, doctors and public agencies remain the most trusted sources of information among younger and older residents alike. Many resident recommendations involved leveraging NYCHA infrastructure, highlighting the continuing role public housing authorities can play in COVID-19 and other health initiatives.
作为一项旨在提高弱势群体中新冠病毒检测接受率的倡议的一部分，我们开展了焦点小组访谈，以探索从纽约市住房管理局（NYCHA）公共住房开发区居民中招募的两个研究较少的群体——年轻人和社会孤立的老年人——与检测相关的经历和态度。
2022年6月至11月，我们对居住在NYCHA的21名年轻人和11名老年人进行了8次虚拟焦点小组访谈（共32人）。为了确定主题，我们采用了快速定性分析方法。
居民们讨论了四个总体主题：（1）可信的新冠病毒信息来源；（2）检测原因；（3）检测障碍；（4）提高检测接受率的策略。两个年龄组的调查结果相似；双方都提到了多个信息来源，包括主要媒体、政府或公共卫生官员以及医生。尽管担心信息错误，但年轻人更有可能从社交媒体获取信息。参与者指出了检测的几个障碍，如长队、保险覆盖范围和费用。年轻人报告说，居家新冠病毒检测更方便，而老年人则对检测准确性和自行操作检测表示担忧。改善检测的建议强调通过一个知名的中心地点更方便地获取检测、上门家访、免费或低成本检测以及加强宣传。
主流媒体、医生和公共机构仍然是年轻和老年居民中最值得信赖的信息来源。许多居民的建议涉及利用NYCHA的基础设施，突出了公共住房当局在新冠病毒和其他健康倡议中可以继续发挥的作用。
