RAPID: Daily Mobility Patterns and COVID-19 Risk among Urban Older Adults

This project investigates the extent to which, among older adults, the ability to comply with public health guidelines is affected by demographic position and how this contributes to differences in exposure risk and health consequences. This study builds on an earlier study of activity patterns of a diverse sample of older adults to measure risk of spatial exposures prior to the pandemic and, through the collection of new waves of data, to measure spatial responses to the pandemic. The data from this project will inform future modeling of disease spread, providing more sophisticated assumptions regarding implementation and adherence to guidelines. The data also provide information that can be used to help decision makers develop and target interventions to minimize the emotional and physical health impacts of the pandemic on vulnerable populations.

Building on three earlier waves of data collection in 2018 and 2019, three additional waves of data are collected during the pandemic. Respondents carry smartphones and answer several surveys a day providing location and other objective and subjective data concerning their activities. A brief telephone survey follows in 3-6 months. Analysis assesses effects of demographic and locational characteristics as well as change over time.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.