Broadening access to science-based information to curb the spread of COVID-19 among low-income Latino families

• In Event: Identity exploration, discrimination, and information access among diverse youth and families during COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: Guided by a communication sciences theoretical framework, the Child Trends News Service (CTNS) project seeks to leverage local TV news, the public’s primary news source (Pew Research Center, Local TV News Fact Sheet, 2019), to broaden access and exposure to research-based information among low-income families, with a particular focus on Latinos. From a recent randomized control trial, we found that participants exposed to our news reports had greater knowledge and value for the featured research and were more likely to indicate their intent to adopt the featured behaviors. Formative research with low-income Latino parents identified storytelling guidelines for the development of video messages with which parents could identify. For example, videos should feature people and visuals that reflect Latino communities; parenting behavior recommendations need to be accessible financially; among others. The project has worked to 1) better understand the information needs and emerging concerns of Latino parents during the pandemic through web scraping of internet platforms and parent focus groups; 2) fill these needs through culturally responsive messaging of research-informed local TV news segments; and 3) pilot a data science outcomes evaluation to assess changes in online activity after the news reports air. Given the importance and difficulty of measuring the impact of broadly applied interventions (like television segments), this innovative method may prove to be a useful tool.

Hypotheses: Real time monitoring of parents’ needs online and through focus groups will result in the production of culturally-responsive, relevant news reports that address parents’ questions and provide actionable research they can use to improve child prospects during this global crisis. We hypothesize changes in online activity in geographic regions where the reports air in comparison to where they do not air.

Study population: The CTNS project maintains a specific focus on Latino families, while also reaching and engaging local TV news viewers more broadly. Within a few decades, Latino children are expected to comprise a similar share of the child population as Whites, yet Latino children are disproportionately poor and experience developmental and educational challenges associated with growing up in poverty (Murphey et al., 2014).

Methods: Mixed methods were used in this study, including focus groups with Latino parents and Big Data/web scraping data from Twitter and internet search platforms. Outcomes analysis will be conducted using a difference-in-difference based approach to explore whether more people search for relevant terms in areas where the reports aired.

Results: Focus groups with Latino parents found that parents are experiencing a heightened need for research-based parenting information to better navigate pandemic stressors. Online analyses of Big Data English and Spanish sources—including Twitter conversations, Google and Bing search volumes, and Facebook—resulted in greater insight into what parents were discussing online and what information they were seeking to support their parenting (Table 1). These insights helped shape the content and strategic messaging of the news reports. Our reports garnered an average of 90 million views per report—tripling our previous viewership (Table 2). Data analyses regarding changes in online activity after stories air are forthcoming.

Author

• Alicia Torres, Child Trends -Maryland
  Presenting Author