160 Sustaining community engagement during COVID-19: High stress and loneliness reported

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: COVID-19 has taken a big toll on health, mental health and community well-being. COVID-19 has also presented unique opportunities for community engagement programs to sustain their work within communities. Low-tech methods of engagement might provide opportunities for success. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: When we could not be in the field due to COVID-19, we recontacted our 12.4k HealthStreet members by phone and in 12 months successfully contacted 3.2k. By contrast, over the two COVID affected years (2019 & 2020), our in-person recruitment efforts in the community fell to 832 from 1817 in the two prior years (2017 & 2018). Reconnecting with existing members is an important aspect of sustainable community engagement. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: While 8/10 of the 3.2 K sample had internet access in their homes, 9/10 said having it was somewhat to very important. Importantly, 1 in 3 people who had additional needs or suggestions were looking for better COVID-19 knowledge or ways to reduce the threat of illness, 1 in 4 wanted resources; and 1 in 5 encouraged us to keep doing what we were doing. Among recontacted members, 30.2% indicated a high stress level (8 & over on a 10 point scale) while 15.2% reported a high level of loneliness (8 & over on a 10 point scale). High stress was significantly more likely among those identifying as African American (23.1%) compared to non-African American (16.6%). Loneliness did not vary (10.1% among both). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Sustainable community engagement was important to reach community members during the pandemic, especially given the high rates of stress and loneliness among members contacted. In-person connections were reduced, but phone contact provided an opportunity for successful engagement.