The Doctors for Coronavirus Prevention Project
Researchers
Marcella Alsan
Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham
Kelly Holland
Lucy Ogbu-Nwobodo
Fatima Cody Stanford
Carlos Torres
Erica Warner
As the US experiences an uptick in COVID-19 cases during the holiday season, can widespread public health messaging on social media make an impact on reported post-holiday cases?
Project Summary
Location: USA
Timeline: 2020 - 2021
COVID-19 dimensions: Knowledge, attitudes, practices and beliefs; Behavior change communication
Project Details
Covid-19 continues to spread throughout the United States, heedless of state borders and jurisdictions. Travel due to the holidays reflects a period when the virus can migrate far distances, and be easily spread, as families celebrate indoors. Minimizing travel and enforcing good health-preserving behaviors is of the upmost important throughout the holidays.
Motivated by this issue, a diverse team of doctors and researchers conducted a trial promoting a short video message to "stay home and stay safe" this holiday season. This message was advertised on Facebook to randomly assigned zip codes, with control zip codes receiving no messaging. This message was rolled out in the period prior to Thanksgiving to encourage families to avoid traveling for the holidays, and if they travelled, to wear masks when indoors.
Outcomes will focused on symptom survey data from Facebook, official reported Covid-19 cases and aggregated mobility data reported by Facebook.