Comic books vs. COVID: a novel way to reduce school absences?
NCT ID NCT04859699
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether giving comic books and videos about COVID-19 safety to students and parents could reduce school absences due to illness. Over 1,000 people from rural Latino communities in Washington state took part. The goal was to see if simple educational materials could help keep schools open safely.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- COVID-19 Health Education Comic Books and Videos
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could provide a simple, low-cost way to reduce COVID-19-related school absences in underserved communities.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed behavioral study, not a medical treatment. Results may not apply to other regions or age groups, and the intervention may not change behavior as hoped.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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1,095 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2022
- Finished
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Dec 2024
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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4 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participant attends or works in a participating school for at least 2 days/week. * Participant must be willing to comply with all study procedures, including weekly online check-ins and phone interviews. * Participant should have consistent and reliable Internet access, either by smart phone or computer. * Participant must be comfortable speaking English or Spanish. * Participant must be able to provide online informed consent and/or legal guardian assent. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals unable to provide informed consent / assent, except in cases where the participant has an available legal authorized representative and/or parent * Individuals who are incarcerated * Individuals with conditions that may preclude or limit the participant's ability to comply with study procedures, according to the investigators * Children who are wards of the state and who have clinically-diagnosed dementia, terminal (\<5 years) illness, major psychiatric illness, severe hearing impairment, and inability to move, which will be assessed during the distribution of the study recruitment packets to families.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, 98109, United States
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