Development of a community-informed communication toolkit to prevent spread of viral illness in schools, including SARS-COV-2.
Front Public Health
; 11: 1285453, 2023.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37954051
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Schools were uniquely impacted during the COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) pandemic. We sought to elucidate how parents/guardians of elementary and middle school students in Maryland navigated the return to in-person school following remote instruction. We also sought to understand how they perceived communication about school-based COVID-19 mitigation strategies and their preferences for the content and format of public health communication about COVID-19 mitigation in schools.Methods:
We engaged a community advisory board comprised of key partners and implemented a survey and focus groups.Results:
Results indicated that parents/guardians wanted clearer communication about COVID-19 mitigation policies in schools and were experiencing fatigue and confusion. These insights informed the development of a tailorable communication toolkit. The toolkit was designed to (1) inform parents/guardians about the importance and effectiveness of mitigation strategies for preventing viral spread to keep children in school, (2) promote a sense of community and support, and (3) help school communication teams effectively communicate information about mitigation strategies being implemented.Discussion:
We describe a process for leveraging schools as a trusted messenger, engaging school communities in the development of communication messages, and utilizing a tailorable communication toolkit in the context of shifting public health guidance and local needs. The toolkit development and dissemination process offers a model for targeting public health messaging to parents/guardians in school settings.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Virosis
/
COVID-19
Límite:
Child
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Front Public Health
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos