In collaboration with the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research, we are interested in researching the effects of socio-economic status and race on taste and smell loss.

Research projects are reviewed by an ethics panel to protect the rights and welfare of the people involved in the research. This study has been reviewed and approved by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institutional Review Board (IRB), a group that reviews research projects involving people. The letter of approval is found here. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant or in the event of a research-related harm, you can contact the UAF Office of Research Integrity at 474-7800 (Fairbanks area) or 1-866-876-7800 (toll-free outside the Fairbanks area) or uaf-irb@alaska.edu.

SARS-CoV2 attaches to air pollution. Variation in individual exposure to air pollution results in geographic differences in infection and mortality, often in alignment with socio-economic status and minority race. Loss of smell and/or taste in the absence of other symptoms is a key indicator of COVID-19 infection but loss of smell may not be as noticeable to individuals in communities already suffering from pre-existing impairment to the sense of smell due to the effects of high pollution exposure. The purpose of the study is to understand chemosensory symptoms in COVID-19 within the context of race (minority status) and socioeconomic status (lower income).

We are asking you to participate in an online survey (time to complete the survey will vary depending on responses to questions, but average completion time is around 6 minutes). The survey does not impose any known risks or benefits to participants. Your responses to this survey will remain anonymous. We are not collecting personal identifying information (name, address, email, IP address). Most but not all questions are required. If a question is required, will be prompted to answer it before proceeding or submitting the survey. If you prefer not to answer a required question, you cannot complete the survey. If you exit prior to submitting the survey, your responses ARE NOT submitted. After you submit the survey, you cannot retrieve your responses and we cannot remove your data because we have no way to identify you. If you have any questions, please contact Professor Kara C. Hoover at the University of Alaska (kchoover@alaska.edu) or Dr. Maria Veldhuizen at Mersin University (maria.veldhuizen@yale.edu).