Background: Innovative laboratory testing approaches for SARS-CoV-2 infection and immune response are needed to conduct research to establish estimates of prevalence and incidence. Self-specimen collection methods have been successfully used in HIV and sexually transmitted infection research and can provide a feasible opportunity to scale up SARS-CoV-2 testing for research purposes. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the willingness of adults to use different specimen collection modalities for themselves and children as part of a COVID-19 research study. Methods: Between March 27 and April 1, 2020, we recruited 1435 adults aged 18 years or older though social media advertisements. Participants completed a survey that included 5-point Likert scale items stating how willing they were to use the following specimen collection testing modalities as part of a research study: home collection of a saliva sample, home collection of a throat swab, home finger-prick blood collection, drive-through site throat swab, clinic throat swab, and clinic blood collection. Additionally, participants indicated how the availability of home-based collection methods would impact their willingness to participate compared to drive-through and clinic-based specimen collection. We used Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman rank correlations to assess if willingness to use each testing modality differed by demographic variables and characteristics of interest. We compared the overall willingness to use each testing modality and estimated effect sizes with Cohen d. Results: We analyzed responses from 1435 participants with a median age of 40.0 (SD=18.2) years and over half of which were female (761/1435, 53.0%). Most participants agreed or strongly agreed that they would be willing to use specimens self-collected at home to participate in research, including willingness to collect a saliva sample (1259/1435, 87.7%) or a throat swab (1191/1435, 83.1%). Willingness to collect a throat swab sample was lower in both a drive-through setting (64%) and clinic setting (53%). Overall, 69.0% (990/1435) of participants said they would be more likely to participate in a research study if they could provide a saliva sample or throat swab at home compared to going to a drive-through site; only 4.4% (63/1435) of participants said they would be less likely to participate using self-collected samples. For each specimen collection modality, willingness to collect specimens from children for research was lower than willingness to use on oneself, but the ranked order of modalities was similar. Conclusions: Most participants were willing to participate in a COVID-19 research study that involves laboratory testing; however, there was a strong preference for home specimen collection procedures over drive-through or clinic-based testing. To increase participation and minimize bias, epidemiologic research studies of SARS-CoV-2 infection and immune response should consider home specimen collection methods.

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中文翻译：

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愿意使用家庭收集方法为SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19研究提供标本：调查研究。

背景：需要进行创新的SARS-CoV-2感染和免疫反应实验室测试方法来进行研究，以估计患病率和发病率。自我标本收集方法已成功用于艾滋病毒和性传播感染的研究中，并可以提供一个可行的机会来扩大SARS-CoV-2检测的研究范围。目的：本研究的目的是评估成年人是否愿意将自己和孩子使用不同的标本收集方式作为COVID-19研究的一部分。方法：在2020年3月27日至4月1日之间，我们通过社交媒体广告招募了1435名18岁以上的成年人。参与者完成了一项调查，其中包括5点李克特量表项目，表明他们将如何使用以下标本收集测试方式作为研究的一部分：唾液样本的家庭收集，喉咙拭子的家庭收集，手指刺血液采集，驾车通过式喉咙拭子，诊所喉咙拭子和诊所血液采集。此外，与会人员指出，与直接通过和基于临床的标本采集相比，基于家庭的采集方法的可用性将如何影响他们的参与意愿。我们使用Kruskal-Wallis检验和Spearman等级相关性来评估使用每种检验方式的意愿是否因人口统计变量和目标特征而异。我们将使用每种测试方式的总体意愿和估计的效果大小与Cohen d进行了比较。结果：我们分析了1435位参与者的回答，他们的中位年龄为40.0（SD = 18.2）岁，其中一半以上为女性（761 / 1435，53.0％）。大多数参与者同意或强烈同意他们愿意使用在家中自行收集的标本参加研究，包括愿意收集唾液样本（1259 / 1435，87.7％）或咽拭子（1191 / 1435，83.1％）。 ）。在驾车通过环境（64％）和诊所环境（53％）中，收集咽拭子样本的意愿较低。总体而言，有69.0％（990/1435）的参与者表示，如果他们可以提供在家中的唾液样本或喉咙拭子，而不是开车进入现场，他们将更有可能参与研究；只有4 4％（63/1435）的参与者表示，他们使用自我收集的样本参与的可能性较小。对于每个标本采集方式，从儿童那里收集标本进行研究的意愿都低于自己使用的意愿，但是方式的排序顺序是相似的。结论：大多数参与者愿意参加涉及实验室测试的COVID-19研究。然而，与通过式或基于临床的测试相比，强烈要求采用家庭标本采集程序。为了增加参与并最大程度地减少偏见，SARS-CoV-2感染和免疫反应的流行病学研究应考虑家庭标本收集方法。从儿童那里收集标本进行研究的意愿低于自己使用的意愿，但是模态的排序顺序是相似的。结论：大多数参与者愿意参加涉及实验室测试的COVID-19研究。然而，与通过式或基于临床的测试相比，强烈要求采用家庭标本采集程序。为了增加参与并最大程度地减少偏见，SARS-CoV-2感染和免疫反应的流行病学研究应考虑家庭标本收集方法。从儿童那里收集标本进行研究的意愿低于自己使用的意愿，但是模态的排序顺序是相似的。结论：大多数参与者愿意参加涉及实验室测试的COVID-19研究。但是，与直接驾驶或基于临床的测试相比，家庭标本采集程序更受青睐。为了增加参与并最大程度地减少偏见，SARS-CoV-2感染和免疫反应的流行病学研究应考虑家庭标本收集方法。相较于通过式或基于临床的测试，人们更倾向于采用家庭标本采集程序。为了增加参与并最大程度地减少偏见，SARS-CoV-2感染和免疫反应的流行病学研究应考虑家庭标本收集方法。相较于通过式或基于临床的测试，人们更倾向于采用家庭标本采集程序。为了增加参与并最大程度地减少偏见，SARS-CoV-2感染和免疫反应的流行病学研究应考虑家庭标本收集方法。

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