Find Resources

This analysis identifies risk factors and socio-economic impacts of long COVID with a public health lens. It notes that more analysis is needed, but encourages the impacts of long COVID to be seen within a larger social, and not just medical, context. Workplace and family structure implications are substantial. Long COVID should be tracked as distinct condition using person-centered research techniques that include traditionally underrepresented populations such as children.

This research paper discusses various public health agency websites and official government websites in countries with more than 5,000 confirmed COVID cases. The researchers used various methods to determine the readability level of the websites. The researchers found that official COVID information put out by states often exceeded the recommended reading level, while federal information was found to be much more readable, most likely due to federal mandates for readability. Recommendations are to use plain-language COVID resources to be more accessible to all audiences.

This article discusses the development of the Visible app, which uses wearables or smart watches to help measure and manage long COVID. Visible helps to manage long COVID and other chronic fatigue diseases with a heartrate-monitored guidance strategy that emphasizes pacing as long COVID patients return to physical activity.

A UK-based program gradually increased physical activity among people suffering from long COVID. Physical activity regimes were established by clinicians and gradually increased in intensity over six weeks. Over the course of the program, significant reductions in episodes of “crashing” and symptoms of breathlessness and headaches were reported by participants.

Coalitions and partnerships are often established during times of crisis but, if maintained, can pay dividends in the long term. This toolkit offers practical steps on building and maintaining partnerships for long-term, equitable community engagement. It includes case studies within health services, public health, and other social services.

This study focuses on qualitative data collected to better understand the experiences of adults living with long-COVID in the United Kingdom who participate in online support groups. These support groups were predominantly conducted through Facebook and WhatsApp, and individuals were asked to reflect on how they engage with the support groups and what external influences are influencing their experience with long-COVID. Participants explained that the support groups provided a place to connect with others, advocate for needed resources and information, and share therapies and management techniques in the absence of clear instruction from the medical community. Additional benefits included diversity of participants, reduced feelings of isolation, and improved mental wellbeing through validation and encouragement. Negative aspects of the support groups included challenges with the amount of stories and information shared, limited in-person interaction, and increased burden on group moderators.

This article describes structural barriers contributing to inequitable health outcomes for people living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides policy recommendations (based on Canadian examples) to address structural barriers that exacerbated the effects of the pandemic on people living with dementia.

This article describes how urban interventions implemented for the purpose of COVID-19 mitigation can impact health equity by improving the built environment (e.g., improved air quality, reduced noise, reduced traffic incidents). The article does not include an evaluation component, but the authors outline 10 recommendations for urban interventions to reduce COVID-19 transmission and advance health equity.

This paper analyzes the policy components that contribute to the programmatic success of flu and Tdap pregnancy vaccine programs in three high-income countries, including the United States. Key pillars to increased vaccination coverage include Health Authority accountability, facilitated patient access to vaccination, healthcare professional accountability and engagement, awareness of the burden and severity of diseases, and finally, belief in the benefits of pregnancy vaccination. In the US, given the higher diversity of stakeholders, a multi-stakeholder approach with calls to action from the CDC and endorsement from other scientific societies were key to uptake of vaccinations in pregnancy. It is recommended that maternal task forces reinforce these messages, disseminate toolkits, and that partners address barriers that stand in the way of vaccination, including ensuring that vaccination clinics are convenient for pregnant woman. Successful programs do not require implementation of all components; instead, public health experts should use these as components as guiding tools that can be refined depending on the specificities of the healthcare system in place.

This study examines the challenges of using community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 brings unique challenges to this approach due to social distancing and the closure of key community organizations. They identify three key challenges: flexibility to pivot when needed, inequity in research participation, and the well-being of the research team. The study focuses on impacts for immigrant and communities of color and examines intersectionality’s with age and gender.