U.S. regional differences in physical distancing: Evaluating racial and socioeconomic divides during the COVID-19 pandemic.

dc.contributor.author

Zang, Emma

dc.contributor.author

West, Jessica

dc.contributor.author

Kim, Nathan

dc.contributor.author

Pao, Christina

dc.contributor.editor

Zaller, Nickolas D

dc.date.accessioned

2023-08-01T20:51:00Z

dc.date.available

2023-08-01T20:51:00Z

dc.date.issued

2021-01

dc.date.updated

2023-08-01T20:50:58Z

dc.description.abstract

Health varies by U.S. region of residence. Despite regional heterogeneity in the outbreak of COVID-19, regional differences in physical distancing behaviors over time are relatively unknown. This study examines regional variation in physical distancing trends during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigates variation by race and socioeconomic status (SES) within regions. Data from the 2015-2019 five-year American Community Survey were matched with anonymized location pings data from over 20 million mobile devices (SafeGraph, Inc.) at the Census block group level. We visually present trends in the stay-at-home proportion by Census region, race, and SES throughout 2020 and conduct regression analyses to examine these patterns. From March to December, the stay-at-home proportion was highest in the Northeast (0.25 in March to 0.35 in December) and lowest in the South (0.24 to 0.30). Across all regions, the stay-at-home proportion was higher in block groups with a higher percentage of Blacks, as Blacks disproportionately live in urban areas where stay-at-home rates were higher (0.009 [CI: 0.008, 0.009]). In the South, West, and Midwest, higher-SES block groups stayed home at the lowest rates pre-pandemic; however, this trend reversed throughout March before converging in the months following. In the Northeast, lower-SES block groups stayed home at comparable rates to higher-SES block groups during the height of the pandemic but diverged in the months following. Differences in physical distancing behaviors exist across U.S. regions, with a pronounced Southern and rural disadvantage. Results can be used to guide reopening and COVID-19 mitigation plans.

dc.identifier

PONE-D-21-13855

dc.identifier.issn

1932-6203

dc.identifier.issn

1932-6203

dc.identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/28659

dc.language

eng

dc.publisher

Public Library of Science (PLoS)

dc.relation.ispartof

PloS one

dc.relation.isversionof

10.1371/journal.pone.0259665

dc.subject

Humans

dc.subject

Censuses

dc.subject

Quarantine

dc.subject

Social Class

dc.subject

Rural Population

dc.subject

Urban Population

dc.subject

Educational Status

dc.subject

Income

dc.subject

United States

dc.subject

Pandemics

dc.subject

COVID-19

dc.subject

Physical Distancing

dc.subject

Racial Groups

dc.title

U.S. regional differences in physical distancing: Evaluating racial and socioeconomic divides during the COVID-19 pandemic.

dc.type

Journal article

duke.contributor.orcid

West, Jessica|0000-0001-8320-8998

pubs.begin-page

e0259665

pubs.issue

11

pubs.organisational-group

Duke

pubs.organisational-group

School of Medicine

pubs.organisational-group

Clinical Science Departments

pubs.organisational-group

Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences

pubs.publication-status

Published

pubs.volume

16

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
U.S. regional differences in physical distancing Evaluating racial and socioeconomic divides during the COVID-19 pandemic.pdf
Size:
1.75 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Published version