# LA CaTS Supplement NOT-OD-21-101

> **NIH NIH U54** · LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR · 2021 · $299,963

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
In the US, COVID-19 unveiled a disproportionate health burden in low income and underserved segments of
society. In Louisiana, some of the greatest health and economic consequences are evident in our Black
communities. Furthermore, despite the widespread availability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, approximately 30% of
the US population reports that they will not get vaccinated, and Black citizens and those with lower socio-
economic status are more likely to have vaccine hesitancy. Thus, there is an urgent need to address vaccine
hesitancy within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current testing environment. The Louisiana
Clinical and Translational Science (LA CaTS) Center provides the essential infrastructure and key foundational
support for biomedical research in our region and is uniquely positioned to lead a community-engaged
research project to determine solutions to decrease vaccine hesitancy and improve testing rates in our most
underserved populations. Faith-based organizations (churches, mosques, temples, etc.) are trusted sources of
information, especially among Black communities, and may represent an opportunity to convey accurate,
unbiased health information regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and testing to the community. Many Black
churches have well-developed health ministries that integrate faith and health for their members and the
communities they serve. We will use a mixed-methods study design to determine the effectiveness of
training church health ministers to educate their congregations about the safety and efficacy of
COVID-19 vaccines for decreasing vaccine hesitancy and improving testing knowledge in underserved
Black communities. We will randomize 98 participants from five churches to an intervention group that will
receive counseling from their health ministers on the benefits of getting vaccinated and tested, or to a delayed
intervention control group. The effects of the intervention on the primary outcome, vaccine hesitancy measured
by a structured questionnaire, will be studied after three weeks. Following the three-week control period, the
delayed intervention control group will also receive the intervention. We will then conduct focus groups among
a sub-sample of participants to obtain more granular information on sources of vaccine hesitancy and for their
vaccine-related decisions. The achievement of the study's goals will significantly increase our understanding of
vaccine hesitancy within Black urban communities in Louisiana. Our results will inform the development of
targeted interventions to increase vaccine coverage in the large, underserved populations across the American
South.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10403313
- **Project number:** 3U54GM104940-06S4
- **Recipient organization:** LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN P. KIRWAN
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $299,963
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2012-08-15 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10403313

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10403313, LA CaTS Supplement NOT-OD-21-101 (3U54GM104940-06S4). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10403313. Licensed CC0.

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