UACES Facebook Extension Service seeking input on in-home COVID test use
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Extension Service seeking input on in-home COVID test use

Survey will gauge consumer preference between at-home vs. medical offices.

Jan. 21, 2022

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

Fast facts

(190 words)

(Newsrooms, with file art https://www.flickr.com/gp/uacescomm/6v2D01 )

LITTLE ROCK — Now that every home in the United States is eligible to order in-home COVID tests for no cost from the federal government, the Cooperative Extension Service wants to see whether people prefer at-home testing over those done in a medical office.

“We’ve all seen the long lines at testing centers around the state, we expect use of at-home tests will increase dramatically,” said Bryan Mader, assistant professor and extension health specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Person getting COVID vaccine
VACCINE -- Man obtains COVID vaccines through an employee clinic.  2021 file photo. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Ryan McGeeney.)

To gauge the usage of at-home tests and determine if the creation of publicly available educational resources is warranted, Mader has developed an online survey.

Mader said “widespread testing is critical to identifying and forecasting outbreaks, conducting effective contact tracing, and preventing the spread of COVID-19. Anyone with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection.”

Researchers will aggregate information at a group level and no individually identifiable participant data is being collected through this survey.

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the survey administrator, Bryan Mader, at bmader@uada.edu. 

Tests can be ordered online at https://www.covidtests.gov.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system. 

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.  

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

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