ECU-led COVID-19 survey now open to Pitt County participants

Published Jul 16, 2020 by
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Phase One of the Pitt County Community Prevention and COVID-19 Testing Study, or Pitt County ComPACT Study, is now under way, and project leaders are seeking participants in Pitt County.

The project is part of a statewide partnership on a project that will explore the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on North Carolina and is led by a team of East Carolina University public health experts. Based in ECU’s Brody School of Medicine and the College of Nursing, the researchers join others from UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University and the N.C. Division of Public Health.

Pitt County residents are encouraged to learn more and participate in the survey. Participants must be 18 years or older and must have lived in Pitt County since March 1, 2020, or longer.

The Pitt County ComPACT survey asks participants questions on topics including mask use, social distancing, various health factors and the economic impact COVID-19 has had on participants. (Stock photo)

Phase 1 of the study includes a public survey that takes about 20 minutes to complete. After completing the survey, participants can provide contact information if they want to be part of a follow-up study and also be entered into a drawing for one of 10 $100 gift cards.

“We want survey participants to represent the diversity of residents in Pitt County,” said Dr. Aaron Kipp, principal investigator and assistant professor in the ECU Department of Public Health. “This includes racial and ethnic minorities as well as residents with different income and education levels. We also want to hear from those within and outside of the Greenville area. By having participation from different types of people who live in Pitt County, we better understand how COVID-19 is impacting everyone in the county.”

The survey is also available in Spanish.

Phase 2 of the ComPACT study will involve randomly selecting participants from Phase One who provided their contact information for follow-up. The team’s goal is to select about 375 participants who represent the diversity of Pitt county residents.

Phase 2 participants will be studied for nine months, completing short surveys every two weeks, providing a simple nasal swab every two weeks and having a small amount of blood drawn every month (about one teaspoon).

This process will allow researchers to learn about COVID-19 occurrence over time, including throughout the 2020­–2021 flu season. Results from testing will be communicated to the participant, while participants with active positive tests will be notified for follow-up with health care providers. The Pitt County Health Department will also be notified of positive results.

The project is being led by Kipp, along with other faculty in the public health, pediatrics and nursing. The Pitt County Health Department’s Health Director Dr. John Silvernail and Deputy Director/Public Information Officer Amy Hattem round out the Pitt County team. For more information about the survey, please visit compactstudy.ecu.edu or call 252-744-4033.