Coproducing COVID-19 Health Information Resources: A Participatory Study With Older Adults From Minoritised Ethnic Communities in the UK

Minoritised ethnic communities in the UK experience disproportionate levels of morbidity and mortality compared to their Caucasian counterparts. This disparity was magnified during the COVID-19 crisis, particularly amongst older adults. An effective way to target such inequalities is through health communication, but language barriers and cultural differences can make this challenging. This study was conducted during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and aimed to coproduce culturally, linguistically, and age-appropriate COVID-19 health education resources tailored to the needs of older adults from communities facing such challenges. This multi-method participatory study was focused on the information needs of older adults (65+ years) from Nepalese and Indian communities in Southeast England. The study consisted of three interconnected phases: 1) a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and an informal literature review; 2) coproduction of COVID-19 resources using participatory workshops; and 3) dissemination of the resources. We interviewed 24 participants: 13 older adults, seven family members and four healthcare providers. Findings revealed varying level of COVID-19 knowledge with language and illiteracy cited as key barriers to accessing health information. Participants highlighted the importance of culturally sensitive messages and appropriate means of dissemination, such as community centres and places of worship. Drawing on these findings, culturally and age-appropriate COVID-19 information leaflets were coproduced in Hindi and Nepalese through participatory workshops and underwent subsequent iterative refinement. Digital and printed versions of the final copies were then distributed to communities and stakeholders. We adopted an inclusive and participatory approach to formulating culturally relevant information resources on COVID-19. The coproduction process, findings, and reflections from this study may be useful in informing future public health programmes and policies targeting other underserved groups. Two community members were actively involved at every stage of the study. They contributed to the refinement of the interview guide, discussion on the key findings, and dissemination of coproduced resources.