Symposium 31

31.3 GROUP WELL-CHILD CARE MODEL FOR LATINO CHILDREN IN IMMIGRANT FAMILIES: ADAPTING TO AND LEARNING FROM THE COVID-19 CONTEXT

Objectives

Well-child care (WCC) is an opportunity to promote optimal child development and family functioning but may not adequately meet the needs of the most vulnerable families as currently structured. Therefore, experts have called for a redesign of WCC. One form of WCC redesign is group well-child care (GWCC). In this mixed-methods study embedded in a parent study of in-person GWCC, we examined adaptation of GWCC to the COVID-19 context in a clinic serving Latino children in immigrant families.

Methods

We conducted semistructured interviews with pediatric providers/staff (n = 8) and mothers (n = 10) who attended virtual groups from May to September 2020. Analysis was based on a priori codes focusing on implementation outcomes and emerging themes. Quantitative data included demographics, COVID-19 Impact Scale (measuring impact on daily life; financial, physical, and mental health; family context; and personal, family, or friend COVID-19 diagnosis), and virtual group attendance. We conducted

Results

Eighty percent of mothers reported that the pandemic had moderately or extremely impacted at least 1 major area, with a mean of 2.3 (SD = 1.7) areas. Of 27 mothers who were offered virtual groups, 18 (67%) attended. Mothers attending virtual groups reported lower English proficiency (p = 0.087). The total COVID-19 Impact Scale score did not vary by virtual GWCC attendance, but those not attending reported more contacts diagnosed with COVID-19 (5.1 vs 1.0; p < 0.05) than those attending. In

Conclusions

There may be particular benefit/motivation for virtual GWCC for less acculturated parents, but competing demands in those most impacted by COVID-19 may outweigh the motivation to attend. Virtual GWCC appears generally acceptable. Parents and clinic staff gave recommendations to improve feasibility and privacy concerns.

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