Cohort profile: a national, community-based prospective cohort study of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic outcomes in the USA—the CHASING COVID Cohort study

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Abstract

The Communities, Households and SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology (CHASING) COVID Cohort Study is a community-based prospective cohort study launched during the upswing of the USA COVID-19 epidemic. The objectives of the cohort study are to: (1) estimate and evaluate determinants of the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, disease and deaths; (2) assess the impact of the pandemic on psychosocial and economic outcomes and (3) assess the uptake of pandemic mitigation strategies.

Participants

We began enrolling participants from 28 March 2020 using internet-based strategies. Adults≥18 years residing anywhere in the USA or US territories were eligible. 6740 people are enrolled in the cohort, including participants from all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Participants are contacted regularly to complete study assessments, including interviews and dried blood spot specimen collection for serologic testing.

Findings to date

Participants are geographically and sociodemographically diverse and include essential workers (19%). 84.2% remain engaged in cohort follow-up activities after enrolment. Data have been used to assess SARS-CoV-2 cumulative incidence, seroincidence and related risk factors at different phases of the US pandemic; the role of household crowding and the presence of children in the household as potential risk factors for severe COVID-19 early in the US pandemic; to describe the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and its relationship to COVID-19 outcomes and other potential stressors; to identify preferences for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing when community transmission is on the rise via a discrete choice experiment and to assess vaccine hesitancy over time and its relationship to vaccine uptake.

Future plans

The CHASING COVID Cohort Study has outlined a research agenda that involves ongoing monitoring of the incidence and determinants of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes, mental health outcomes and economic outcomes. Additional priorities include assessing the incidence, prevalence and correlates of long-haul COVID-19.

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  1. SciScore for 10.1101/2020.04.28.20080630: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    Institutional Review Board Statementnot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    No key resources detected.


    Results from OddPub: Thank you for sharing your code and data.


    Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:
    Limitations of serological assays notwithstanding21, recent cross-sectional serosurveys done prior to the relaxing of physical distancing have reported cumulative incidence estimates ranging from 1.7% in Indiana to 21% in New York City, and <10% nationally as of the end of September 2020.18,22–26 Strengths of our cohort study include its prospective design, allowing direct observation of seroconversions and incident COVID-19 disease among those who were unexposed and/or disease free at enrollment. We also have been able to include a range of relevant measures, for a more comprehensive view of the impact of the pandemic and its response on several outcomes in addition to SARS-CoV-2 infection, including mental health and economic outcomes, vaccine uptake, and long-haul COVID. The longitudinal design also allows prospective estimation of the incidence of COVID-19 disease among those with antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, allowing assessment of the extent to which SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, acquired through natural infection or through vaccination, offer short-term protection against subsequent disease. Prospective studies are complementary to, and offer some strengths over, cross sectional studies, especially in the context of rapidly evolving emergencies and the associated public health response. While repeat cross-sectional surveys are valuable in a pandemic, including their ability to assess trends in many important outcomes, they cannot assess what factors may influence change over time...

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.


    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.


    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.


    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    About SciScore

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