Amy Rule, MD, MPH, reported (starting at about 56 mins.) out on a survey project involving 275 Latinx people living in Cincinnati.
One concerning finding: 65% of respondents said they get their COVID news and info from social media and TV, while only 28% said their main sources of information were health professionals;
Another concern: While 99% say they wear masks in public on their own time, only 70% said they wear masks during work.
One survey respondent said: “So we see the need to go to work to be able to pay, most importantly rent. So that’s when we get infected and we infect other people, but we remain silent for the simple fact that we need to take money home, especially men.”
Rule stated that 42% of those surveyed said they have lost at least some income during COVID; 68% are afraid they will in coming months.
The fear of losing even two weeks of income has prevented Latinx families from seeking testing. Many say they cannot afford to take off from work to be tested, nor to self-isolate while waiting for results.
Rule also cited a 5-fold increase in self-reported food insecurity and a 30-fold increase in fear of eviction over inability to pay rent.
To address some of these concerns, Rule and colleagues have worked with the Health Collaborative to launch a bi-lingual digital campaign called “Test and Protect.”