Lessons from Applying the Community Rapid Assessment Method to COVID-19 Protective Measures in Three Countries

Abstract Previous major infection outbreaks have shown the importance of timely information about local conditions in guiding support and health care interventions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF developed the Community Rapid Assessment (CRA) method to address this need. The CRA uses cell phone technology and a questionnaire based on an advanced behavioral model. The success of this kind of instrument depends on a variety of statistical issues such as whether the samples are representative of the population, the detailed design of questions, the quality of responses, and the choice of methods for inferential analysis. The purpose of this article is to describe the CRA method and lessons learned from a preliminary inferential analysis.