Indications of digital literacy during Latino-focused, community-based COVID-19 testing implementation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Digital Health

Background:

• Digital platforms are increasingly used for community-based health interventions.
• Assessing digital literacy is crucial for equitable access to health services, especially in underserved populations.
• COVID-19 testing initiatives highlight the need to understand digital divides in healthcare access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify indicators of digital literacy among individuals seeking COVID-19 testing and community health workers (CHWs) in low-income, Latino communities.
• To evaluate factors associated with digital results access and time to results among community members.
• To assess challenges faced by CHWs using digital platforms and the effectiveness of training.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 5044 community members and 42 CHWs in California from March 2021 to March 2022.
• CHWs were trained to provide COVID-19 testing using a digital platform for registration and reporting.
• Data collected included factors for digital results access, time to results, and CHW-reported technology challenges and training improvement.

Main Results:

• Digital results access was linked to younger age, rural residence, and email provision. Younger, non-Latino, English-speaking, female, and rural testers were more likely to provide email.
• Median time to digital results was 41 minutes; rural residence and older age increased this time.
• 68% of CHWs reported technology challenges, with older and rural CHWs more likely to experience difficulties and less likely to report skill improvement.

Conclusions:

• Email provision can serve as a proxy for digital literacy in this demographic.
• Targeted, intensive digital training is recommended for older and rural CHWs.
• Improving digital literacy is essential for maximizing the impact of digital health interventions in underserved communities.