Yelba Castellon-Lopez

Dr. Yelba Castellon-Lopez


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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8 May 2024 in Vaccines
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Yelba M. Castellon-LopezYelba M. Castellon-Lopez
Yelba M. Castellon-Lopez
AKAlexandra M Klomhaus
Alexandra M Klomhaus
CGCruz Garcia
Cruz Garcia
YCYelba Castellon-Lopez
Yelba Castellon-Lopez
HAHilda Avila
Hilda Avila
LBLuisa Blanco
Luisa Blanco
We developed and tested MivacunaLA/MyshotLA, a community-informed mobile phone intervention, to increase COVID-19 vaccination among Latino parents/caretakers of minors in under-resourced areas of Los Angeles by addressing misinformation and building trust. We recruited Latino parents/caregivers with at least one unvaccinated child in East and South Los Angeles in the summer of 2021 and evaluated MivacunaLA as a randomized controlled trial with a wait-list control group. A difference-in-difference analysis showed Latino parents/caregivers that participated in MivacunaLA (n = 246), in comparison to the control group, were 15 percentage points more likely (p = 0.04) to report vaccination of minors aged 12–17 years, and 12 percentage points more likely (p = 0.03) to report a positive intention to vaccinate minors aged 2–11 years (when COVID-19 vaccines became available). Mobile phone-delivered digital interventions using videos and culturally tailored educational material to promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence can be an effective way to combat misinformation and deliver timely information to marginalized communities. Community-based participatory research approaches are crucial to advance health equity among minority communities, especially immigrant Spanish-speaking underserved communities.