tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
PLoS One
. 2025 Jan 23;20(1):e0317794.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317794. eCollection 2025. Characteristics influencing COVID-19 testing and vaccination among Spanish-speaking Latine persons in North Carolina
Sandy K Aguilar-Palma[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Thomas P McCoy[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lilli Mann-Jackson[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jorge Alonzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohammed Sheikh Eldin Jibriel[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Dorcas Mabiala Johnson[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Tony Locklear[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Amanda E Tanner[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mark A Hall[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Alain G Bertoni[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Ana D Sucaldito[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Laurie P Russell[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Scott D Rhodes[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: Latine populations in the United States continue to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 with high rates of infection and mortality. Our community-based participatory research partnership examined factors associated with COVID-19 testing and vaccination within a particularly hidden, underserved, and vulnerable population: Spanish-speaking Latines.
Methods: In 2023, native Spanish-speaking Latine interviewers conducted phone-based structured individual assessments with 180 Spanish-speaking, predominantly immigrant Latines across North Carolina. We used univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine associations between participant characteristics and COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
Results: Participant mean age was 41.7 (SD = 13), and 77.2% of the sample reported being cisgender women. Most participants reported immigrating from Latin American countries (89.9%), being uninsured (66.1%), and lacking US immigration documentation (51.1%). While most reported ever being COVID-19 tested (83.3%) and ever being vaccinated against COVID-19 (84.4%), only 24% were up to date with vaccination. Nearly half of the sample reported one or more barriers to COVID-19 testing, and over one-quarter reported one or more barriers to COVID-19 vaccination. Higher educational attainment was significantly associated with ever being tested (P = .031). Fewer concerns about the vaccine, including fewer worries about side effects and having more confidence in vaccine effectiveness and safety, was associated with ever being vaccinated (P < .001).
Conclusions: Spanish-speaking Latines face barriers to getting tested and vaccinated against COVID-19. Although ever testing and ever vaccination rates were high, being up to date with recommended vaccinations was low. Educational attainment and concerns about the vaccine were associated with COVID-19 testing and vaccination, respectively. Our findings suggest the need for culturally congruent strategies to address the challenges facing Spanish-speaking Latines in the United States.
. 2025 Jan 23;20(1):e0317794.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317794. eCollection 2025. Characteristics influencing COVID-19 testing and vaccination among Spanish-speaking Latine persons in North Carolina
Sandy K Aguilar-Palma[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Thomas P McCoy[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lilli Mann-Jackson[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jorge Alonzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohammed Sheikh Eldin Jibriel[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Dorcas Mabiala Johnson[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Tony Locklear[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Amanda E Tanner[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mark A Hall[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Alain G Bertoni[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Ana D Sucaldito[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Laurie P Russell[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Scott D Rhodes[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 39847561
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317794
Background: Latine populations in the United States continue to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 with high rates of infection and mortality. Our community-based participatory research partnership examined factors associated with COVID-19 testing and vaccination within a particularly hidden, underserved, and vulnerable population: Spanish-speaking Latines.
Methods: In 2023, native Spanish-speaking Latine interviewers conducted phone-based structured individual assessments with 180 Spanish-speaking, predominantly immigrant Latines across North Carolina. We used univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine associations between participant characteristics and COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
Results: Participant mean age was 41.7 (SD = 13), and 77.2% of the sample reported being cisgender women. Most participants reported immigrating from Latin American countries (89.9%), being uninsured (66.1%), and lacking US immigration documentation (51.1%). While most reported ever being COVID-19 tested (83.3%) and ever being vaccinated against COVID-19 (84.4%), only 24% were up to date with vaccination. Nearly half of the sample reported one or more barriers to COVID-19 testing, and over one-quarter reported one or more barriers to COVID-19 vaccination. Higher educational attainment was significantly associated with ever being tested (P = .031). Fewer concerns about the vaccine, including fewer worries about side effects and having more confidence in vaccine effectiveness and safety, was associated with ever being vaccinated (P < .001).
Conclusions: Spanish-speaking Latines face barriers to getting tested and vaccinated against COVID-19. Although ever testing and ever vaccination rates were high, being up to date with recommended vaccinations was low. Educational attainment and concerns about the vaccine were associated with COVID-19 testing and vaccination, respectively. Our findings suggest the need for culturally congruent strategies to address the challenges facing Spanish-speaking Latines in the United States.