SoapBoxSample Will Provide Critical Data for USC-LA County COVID Research Collaboration

LRW’s Access Division, SoapBoxSample will assist USC and Los Angeles County with antibody testing and behavioral surveys of LA residents to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of COVID-19

March 29, 2021, Los Angeles, CA — LRW, a Material company will join forces with the University of Southern California (USC) and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) to conduct the Los Angeles Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Study, which is designed to track changes in residents’ health and wellbeing as well as gauge behavioral effects of the pandemic within the region. The complex study of 3,000 county residents will involve multiple touch points – including COVID antibody testing and re-testing at timed intervals, along with surveys to measure residents’ behavioral patterns and test hypotheses significant to public health.

The collaborative project is an early initiative within the Population Health COVID-19 Pandemic Research Center (CPRC), part of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. It brings together multi-disciplinary thought leaders from medical, health and public policy fields of academic research, LA County medical and public health officials and experts in sampling strategies, analysis and research design from LRW’s Access Divison – SoapBoxSample.  Principle investigators of the Los Angeles Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Study include Professor Howard Hu, MD MPH ScD, of the Keck School of Medicine at USC; Professor Neeraj Sood, PhD, of the Price School of Policy at USC; Rani Kotha, JD MPH, of the Price School of Policy at USC; Paul Simon, MD MPH, of the LACDPH, and Will Nichols, MD MPH, of the LACDPH.

“Our partnership with USC and LA County began last year, when SoapBox was brought on as a partner for the first COVID antibody research in LA County. We will continue to provide critical insights as we strive toward restoring normalcy in LA County,” said Jacqueline Rosales, President of LRW’s Access Division. It’s the most challenging yet rewarding work of my 25+ year career in the data insights industry. ISA has been headquartered in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years, and our deep roots in the community make us uniquely suited for this groundbreaking research engagement.”

SoapBoxSample will recruit a representative sample of 3,000 LA County residents, including 2,000 adults and 1,000 children. Participants will be recruited from neighborhoods with high, medium and low population densities. By including a diverse cross-section of the LA community that represents multiple age groups, socioeconomic strata, genders, and the racial and ethnic makeup of the county, this study aims to shed light on the potentially inequitable impact of the pandemic. The overall goal is to generate data on the “true” prevalence of COVID-19 infections, as well as it’s progression over a defined period of time.

Thus far, SoapBoxSample has assisted with COVID-19 antibody testing for over 5,000 California residents. County-wide testing programs in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County and Stanislaus County have leveraged SoapBoxSample to reach and test representative samples of their populations, empowering health officials to develop public health policies supported by critical data.

“Even as the vaccination campaign proceeds and continuing measures such as masking, social distancing and other guidelines are embraced, it is clear that this pandemic has a long way to go,” said Howard Hu, professor and the Flora L. Thornton Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine. “A rigorous understanding of the pandemic’s ongoing impact will be critical to devising the public health strategies to navigate this current situation and to allow us to return to some form of ‘normalcy’ as quickly and safely as possible.”

SoapBoxSample Helps Riverside County Gauge the Spread of COVID-19

Antibody Study Shows COVID-19 May Have Infected 5.9% of Riverside County Residents, to Date

August 3, 2020, Los Angeles, CA — In an effort to understand and slow the spread of COVID-19, SoapBoxSample partnered with Riverside University Health Systems to test a representative sample of Riverside County residents for the presence of COVID-19 antibodies in their blood. The study was unique because it included adults and children aged 5 and older. This test was administered to 1,726 county residents to gain a more accurate picture of the spread of the virus in Riverside County.

Based on the county’s study, officials estimate there have been between 118,000 and 175,400 infections in Riverside County. On the low end, that would be 235% higher than confirmed case totals; on the high end, it would mean a confirmed infection prevalence that is 431% higher than the county’s current total number of confirmed cases. Riverside County has about 2.5 million residents.

SoapBoxSample recruited a random sample of Riverside residents through their proprietary sampling techniques, designed to ensure reach and diversity. Study participants were included via invitation only. Residents were not allowed to volunteer to be a part of the study, so that health officials could obtain a representative sample of the community, which is a critical component of the study. The study showed a positivity rate of nearly 6%, and officials used that percentage to estimate how many residents likely had the virus by applying the positivity rate to the overall population. These results emphasize the need to practice safe social distancing by wearing face masks and keeping 6 feet of distance from others.

“It is an honor to work on such impactful point-in-time research. We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done here, assisting Riverside County with understanding the true spread of COVID-19 within their community. We will continue to partner with county officials, medical professionals, scientists and epidemiologists. We have a lot to learn about antibodies beyond just the prevalence.” said Jacqueline Rosales, SoapBoxSample COO.

“We continue to learn new information about coronavirus, and this survey adds important research to the growing knowledge of COVID-19,” said Riverside County Board Chair and Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez.

SoapBoxSample attracted attention from the local and national news media last March when the results of their serosurveillance study of Los Angeles County was released. The study, which tested 863 LA County residents, revealing a positivity rate of 4.06%, was conducted in partnership with the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles Department of Health. SoapBoxSample recruited the participants, developed the research instrument and designed the results portals, where residents learn the status of their tests. Read the full article in the Journal of the American Medical Association here.

Business Insider Showcases COVID-19 Antibody Research by SoapBoxSample

SoapBoxSample’s Antibody Study Gets Featured

In an article published on May 22, 2020, Business Insider highlighted the COVID-19 antibody research conducted by Los Angeles-based insights firm SoapBoxSample. Business Insider is a well-respected business news media outlet focusing on tech, finance and American industries.

Article Excerpt:

“In mid-April, Los Angeles tried to understand the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic by asking hundreds of residents to get drive-through blood tests. The results found that estimated infection rates were “28 to 55 times higher” than the number of officially reported cases, but that the virus was also probably much less fatal than previously thought. These tests were the product of an unusual collaboration between the LA County Department of Public Health, the University of Southern California, and 50-year-old consulting firm LRW Group.

LRW Group is best known for consumer sentiment research that clients like Google, Facebook, Disney, and Starbucks never publicize. For example, when an auto company wants to let people test drive a new model and weigh in, or a household goods company needs to see how consumers respond to the smell of a new fabric softener, they often hire LRW Group’s consumer research division SoapBoxSample, according to president Jeff Reynolds.”

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SoapBoxSample’s COVID-19 Antibody Research Featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association

SoapBoxSample Assisted with the Ongoing COVID-19 Antibody Research

Groundbreaking COVID-19 antibody research from SoapBoxSample was featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association, published May 18, 2020. The Journal of the American Medical Association is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of biomedicine. The study reviewed in this article was the pilot wave of a research initiative conducted in partnership with the University of Southern California and the LA County Department of Public Health. SoapBoxSample assisted with the ongoing research engagement to test Angelenos for COVID-19 antibodies in their blood. By launching this critical study, researchers and public officials hoped to get closer to answering the question of when society could “get back to normal.” SoapBoxSample designed the research instrument and recruited 865 Angelenos for the initial pilot test. Subsequently, 1015 additional Los Angeles County residents were recruited for wave 2. SoapBoxSample’s expertise in reaching diverse multicultural audiences, and deep roots in the LA community allowed them to efficiently contact and recruit participants. Antibody testing is ongoing in LA County and SoapBoxSample continues to provide data for this important research initiative.

Article Excerpt:

“Inadequate knowledge about the extent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic challenges public health response and planning. Most reports of confirmed cases rely on polymerase chain reaction–based testing of symptomatic patients. These estimates of confirmed cases miss individuals who have recovered from infection, with mild or no symptoms, and individuals with symptoms who have not been tested due to limited availability of tests.

We conducted serologic tests in a community sample to estimate cumulative incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, as serologic tests identify both active and past infections.”

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Study Reveals Americans Polarized by Recent COVID-19 Protests

While the majority disagree with the protesters message, 83% support their right to protests

April 29, 2020, Los Angeles, CA —SoapBoxSample released new data today about Americans’ views of the anti-quarantine demonstrations that took place in recent weeks across more than a dozen states in the U.S. The protests that were held in places such as California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, sparked a range of emotions among U.S. citizens. As part of their ongoing research initiative to measure the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of Americans, SoapBoxSample polled 400 U.S. residents from across the nation on April 22, 2020.  The data revealed that while the majority (62%) disagree with the protesters’ messages, 83% support their right to demonstrate.

The government’s handling of the COVID-19 response is shaping up to be one of the most divisive issues in American politics. Survey data from the Pew Research Center gathered prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (January of 2020) revealed climate change and gun control to be the top two issues that the American public is most divided on. Six out of ten Americans are in agreement with the statement that climate change is a major threat, and six out of ten Americans are in favor of stricter gun control. The preliminary, quick turnaround, survey data from SoapBoxSample showing that Americans’ sentiments about the protests are split by the same ratio (six out of ten) indicates that the question of when to reopen the economy may be among the most divisive topics in American politics today.

“We’ve seen an unprecedented swell of emotion from the people who participate in our research studies,” said Jacqueline Rosales, SoapBoxSample COO. “While we won’t know for quite some time if the government response to the COVID-19 outbreak was effective, we can say with certainty that the American public is passionately divided on this issue, and the repercussions from this disagreement is likely to have a long-lasting impact on the American political scene.”

To further understand American’s perceptions of the protester’s intentions, SoapBoxSample asked survey participants about what they believe to be the demonstrators’ primary message. The top three causes Americans cited as the protesters’ source of discontent include: because they want to get back to work (70%), they want their individual state economy to reopen (64%), and they believe the social distancing guidelines infringe on their rights as American citizens (52%). Additionally, SoapBoxSample asked respondents about their attitudes toward the protesters themselves. A vast majority (79%) agreed with the statement that protesters are putting themselves and others in danger, and 70% agreed with the statement that protesters are wrong and should follow government guidelines like everyone else.

Americans on both sides of the issue expressed a range of emotions in response to the question – Why do you agree/disagree with the protesters? One study participant in agreement with the protests said, “The cure is worse than the problem at this point and more people are being hurt not being able to work and losing everything they have.” Another study participant who strongly disagreed with the protests exclaimed, “THEY ARE STUPID!!!!!  45000 people are dead, more are dying daily.  You open up the economy and potentially hundreds of THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WILL DIE.  And the healthcare workers and frontline workers suffer THE MOST!” While emotions on the topic of protests runs high, 98% said they have not participated in protests and don’t plan to.

 

COVID-19 Research Study Grabs Attention from Local Los Angeles News Media

https://ktla.com/news/coronavirus/how-you-can-be-part-of-a-covid-19-research-study/

When a groundbreaking research study designed to measure the spread of COVID-19 launched in Los Angeles, CA the week of April 10, 2020, it didn’t take long for the local news media to take an interest.

Jacqueline Rosales, COO of SoapBoxSample/icanmakeitbetter, appeared on KTLA’s nightly 7 pm news broadcast, explaining to the public the intention of the study and how Angelenos can get involved.

“This is really groundbreaking research, to give us one piece that we are missing,” Jacqueline commented. “Without that piece it’s hard to understand, what is the prevalence, when is the peak, and how do we get people back to work?”

SoapBoxSample, an LRW Group company, recruited hundreds of Angelenos to participate in a new antibody study that took place April 10 and 11 across six testing locations throughout the county of Los Angeles. The new testing strategy hopes to shed light on many of the unanswered questions related to the coronavirus. To date, testing has mainly been performed on those who are very sick (and able to secure a test), and evidence suggests that there may be an unknown number of asymptomatic cases in the population.

“It can potentially identify people that are immune from the disease,” said Dr. Neeraj Sood, Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and Research at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, the principle investigator of the research initiative.

Working in partnership with researchers from the University of Southern California’s Price School of Public Policy and the LA County Health Department, SoapBoxSample, recruited a random sampling of hundreds of LA residents, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, to participate in a finger prick serological test, with the purpose of identifying the presence of COVID-19 antibodies. Researchers hope the results of the study may hold the key to when Southern California and the nation can return to a state of relative normalcy.

“This project gave us the opportunity to lift the spirits of our staff during a very difficult time, said Jacqueline. “Everyone involved in this research initiative was excited to give back to the LA community where we live and work.”