Reopening schools safely and educating youth (ROSSEY) study: Protocol for a community-based, cluster randomized...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Elementary school students and families in Yakima County, Washington, require effective COVID-19 risk communication strategies.
• Community-academic partnerships are crucial for developing and implementing health interventions in school settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a COVID-19 risk communication intervention for elementary school students and families.
• To identify community needs and resources for safe school reentry and sustained onsite learning.
• To evaluate the impact of risk communication on student attendance and school mitigation strategies.

Main Methods:

• A community-academic partnership (ROSSEY) was established in Yakima County, Washington.
• Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with students, school employees, and parents.
• A cluster randomized control trial involving 14 elementary schools and 900 students was implemented to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness.

Main Results:

• The study protocol addresses social, ethical, and behavioral needs for school reentry.
• A cluster randomized control trial design was used to assess risk communication effectiveness on attendance.
• The RE-AIM framework guided the assessment of intervention implementation and school mitigation strategies.

Conclusions:

• Science-based risk communication can enhance understanding of COVID-19 testing and vaccination benefits.
• Effective risk communication supports safe in-person learning by informing families about mitigation strategies.
• Study findings will inform school policies and best practices to facilitate the adoption of COVID-19 risk communication.