Developing Spanish Language Intervention Content to Address Health Disparities among People Who Use Drugs, and Other Hard-To-Reach Populations

Our team developed content in English and Spanish for a technology-based intervention designed to increase vaccination against COVID-19 among people who inject drugs. From 2022 through 2024, we recruited 545 participants via peer referral, all of whom reported past 90-day injection drug use. Participants completed a tablet-based intervention, and software asked if they would like to vaccinate against COVID. Participants who did not vaccinate at the first visit received follow-up text messages. Participants who completed the intervention in Spanish were more than 2.5 times as likely to vaccinate at first visit (OR 2.525, 95% CI [1.059-6.076], p = 0.039), and 57% more likely to vaccinate at follow-up (OR 1.576, 95% CI [0.441-5.630], p = 0.484) compared to those who completed in English. These findings highlight the importance of developing intervention materials in languages beyond English. Research is warranted to understand how developing content in other languages may influence health outcomes.