Promotoras/promotores (i.e., community health workers) are uniquely positioned to provide much needed COVID-19 education and outreach in Latino communities, particularly in areas with disparities in vaccination rates. This study used qualitative methods to explore promotoras perspectives on COVID-19 vaccines, with a focus on understanding how vaccine knowledge and viewpoints among Latino communities can formulate recommendations to improve uptake of vaccination. Promotoras (N=22) were recruited to participate in semi-structured focus groups conducted virtually. Reflexive thematic analysis identified three overarching themes: (1) prevalence of misinformation (related to lack of trustworthy information, mistrust in the government, immigration status concerns, and conspiracy theories); (2) hesitancy (related to health concerns and eligibility confusion); and (3) recommendations for improving vaccine uptake. Delays in vaccination were not strictly due to doubts or fears but were also related to access barriers. The themes provide insight into the Latino communities’ perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines and reasons why some remain unvaccinated. Promotoras’ perspectives are integral to the development of strategies and approaches to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, uptake, and implementation among underserved communities.

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Despite demonstrated efficacy of vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), widespread hesitancy to vaccination persists. Improved knowledge regarding frequency, severity, and duration of vaccine-associated symptoms may help reduce hesitancy. In this prospective observational study, we studied 1032 healthcare workers who received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine and completed post-vaccine symptom surveys both after dose 1 and after dose 2. We defined appreciable post-vaccine symptoms as those of at least moderate severity and lasting at least 2 days. We found that symptoms were more frequent following the second vaccine dose than the first (74% vs. 60%, P < 0.001), with >80% of all symptoms resolving within 2 days. The most common symptom was injection site pain, followed by fatigue and malaise. Overall, 20% of participants experienced appreciable symptoms after dose 1 and 30% after dose 2. In multivariable analyses, female sex was associated with greater odds of appreciable symptoms after both dose 1 (OR, 95% CI 1.73, 1.19–2.51) and dose 2 (1.76, 1.28–2.42). Prior COVID-19 was also associated with appreciable symptoms following dose 1, while younger age and history of hypertension were associated with appreciable symptoms after dose 2. We conclude that most post-vaccine symptoms are reportedly mild and last <2 days. Appreciable post-vaccine symptoms are associated with female sex, prior COVID-19, younger age, and hypertension. This information can aid clinicians in advising patients on the safety and expected symptomatology associated with vaccination.

Background: Cancer patients are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness because of their systemic immunosuppressive state. The potential effects of cancer and/or anticancer treatments on COVID-19 vaccine response, adverse events and progression are unknown. Moreover, the impacts of financial, familial and societal stressors during the pandemic on health-related quality of life are unclear. To address these concerns, we report data from the ongoing U.S. NCI-funded SeroNet COVID-19 Risk Associations and Longitudinal Evaluation Study (CORALE) at a large health care system in Los Angeles.Conclusions: This study shows high rate of overall satisfaction, from both patients and physicians. TCs seem to provide a suitable alternative to standard in-person consultations, therefore improvements are needed to optimize this technique.Legal entity responsible for the study: Institut Bergonié.

Purpose: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is significantly lower in the Hispanic community compared to non-Hispanic whites. Qualitative research has suggested that cultural attitudes towards cancer may be a potential barrier to screening. The purpose of the study was to quantitatively examine explicit stereotypes about CRC and CRC screening within the Hispanic community using the stereotype content model. Methods: A one-time online cross-sectional survey was administered to individuals self-identifying as Hispanic living across the United States. Based on participant preference, the survey was completed in English or Spanish. In counterbalanced order, participants were asked to read brief paragraphs about a control target, a target with CRC, and a target undergoing colonoscopy CRC screening. The target was a Hispanic individual assigned a gender-neutral name. Other than the one sentence with CRC-related information in the CRC and CRC screening paragraphs, all the paragraphs were identical describing the individual, their family, and their hobbies. After each paragraph, participants were asked to rate the target on validated surveys assessing warmth and competence, two indicators of explicit stereotypes. Data was analyzed using linear mixed-effects models, which were fitted to evaluate the effect of each target on warmth and competence, controlling for age, gender, race, Hispanic heritage, cancer exposure, and randomization. Results: The target condition was not statistically significantly associated with the Warmth and Competence outcomes when the models were fitted considering only the main effects. However, in the presence of interactions the condition was associated with the outcomes. Specifically, the analysis yielded a significant fixed effect for the interaction between target condition and participant age, such that younger participants had greater perceptions of warmth [F(2, 511.93)=7.045, p=0.001] and competence [F(2, 522.73)=11.129, p&lt;0.001] towards the target undergoing cancer screening. The analysis also yielded a further significant effect for the interaction between target condition and Hispanic heritage with differences in perceptions of warmth between those born in the USA and participants born in Central and South America or in Europe [(F(2, 520.16)=2.299, p=0.02)]. Conclusion: Findings highlight the importance of understanding the heterogeneity within the Hispanic community when seeking to address stigma towards CRC. First, there are differences in explicit perceptions based on generation, suggesting the need for age-appropriate cancer prevention initiatives. Second, the findings demonstrate the need to account for diverse cultural perspectives of cancer screening based on country of origin. Thus, this research supports the importance of respecting the diversity within the Hispanic community and tailoring cancer prevention interventions accordingly. Citation Format: Bianca Luna-Lupercio, Aidan Foley, Nenette A. Caceres, Ergueen Herrera, Galen Wiens-Cook, Vinicius Calsavara, Zul Surani, Sarah-Jeanne Salvy, Robert Haile, Celina H. Shirazipour. Examining stereotype perceptions of colorectal cancer in the Latino community [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 1979.