BACKGROUND
A low test positivity rate is key to keeping the COVID-19 pandemic under control. Several migrant groups in Norway have seen higher rates of confirmed COVID-19 and related hospitalizations, while test positivity has remained high in the same groups. Social media sponsored ads have been an important part of the government’s strategy to reach these groups.
OBJECTIVE
In this study we aimed to investigate whether such a targeted Facebook campaign increased the rate of testing in certain migrant groups.
METHODS
We randomly assigned 386 Norwegian municipalities and city districts, to intervention or control groups. Individuals born in Syria, Pakistan, Eritrea, Turkey, Russia and Iraq residing in intervention areas were targeted with a social media campaign aiming at increasing the COVID-19 test rate. The campaign message was in simple language and conveyed in the users’ main language or in English.
RESULTS
During the follow-up period of two weeks, the predicted probability of conducting a COVID-19 test was 4.82 % (CI: 4.47 % - 5.18 %) in the control group, and 5.58 % (CI: 5.20 % - 5.99 %) in the intervention group (P=.004).
CONCLUSIONS
Our targeted social media intervention led to a modest, but potentially important, increase in test rates among migrants in Norway.
CLINICALTRIAL
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04866589.
Results of a social media campaign to prevent indoor tanning by teens: A randomized controlled trial
