Improving COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Acceptance in Pennsylvania Prisons Through Community Engagement and Rapid Testing of Interventions

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating strategies to improve COVID-19 and influenza vaccine acceptance among incarcerated people and correctional staff within Pennsylvanias prison system. The study aims to find effective and feasible approaches to increase vaccine uptake through a community-engaged research method and rapid cycle, cluster randomized trials. This innovative approach hopes to create evidence-based interventions that can be adapted nationally and for other populations involved with the criminal legal system. The study compares standard care with interventions selected by the ADVANCE Steering Committee. These interventions will be rapidly deployed at four levels patient, provider, practice, and prison. Each intervention will be tested one at a time in a cycle that includes one month of preparation, a 12-week intervention period, and two months for analysis and dissemination. Participants will receive either usual care or these committee-chosen strategies aimed at improving vaccine acceptance. Participants include all incarcerated individuals within the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, except those housed in special units for severe physical or mental illnesses. The study will monitor COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates up to 12 weeks after each intervention, along with secondary outcomes such as infection rates, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccination changes for other respiratory outbreaks. The total study duration for each intervention cycle includes preparation, intervention, and follow-up analysis periods.

Addressing Vaccine Acceptance in Carceral Settings Through Community Engagement