Changing travel patterns in China during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Gibbs H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7538915 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description: Not available
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Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives in numerous ways. How youth have been impacted by the pandemic and which preexisting factors best relate to COVID-19 responses are of high importance for effective identification and treatment of those most vulnerable. Youth with pre-pandemic mental health difficulties such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could be at risk for worse well-being during and after the pandemic.MethodsThe current study tested potential risk factors (i.e., pre-pandemic mental health, age, and parental education) and their relationship to family experiences during early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were previously enrolled in an ongoing, yearly longitudinal study examining the relationship between mental health and executive functions in youth. Families with 1-4 annual pre-pandemic lab visits filled out an online COVID-19 survey in May-July 2020 to assess how the pandemic impacted their well-being (n = 135 youth).ResultsYouth pre-pandemic mental health difficulties, especially ADHD symptoms, related to worse well-being during the early pandemic. Trajectories of recent ADHD symptoms over time also predicted cognitive difficulties during the pandemic. We found that youth age was a strong predictor of pandemic response, with younger youth showing fewer negative responses. Parental education level buffered family economic impact during early COVID-19. Families showed synchrony in their pandemic responses.ConclusionsPre-pandemic ADHD severity and slope, youth age, and parental education (a proxy for socioeconomic status) were risk factors that influenced youth or family well-being early in the COVID-19 pandemic; this information can help identify those who may need more community and educational support.
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Project description:We document the magnitudes of and mechanisms behind socioeconomic differences in travel behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on King County, Washington, one of the first places in North America where COVID-19 was detected. We leverage novel and rich administrative and survey data on travel volumes, modes, and preferences for different demographic groups. Large average declines in travel and public transit use due to the pandemic and related policy responses mask substantial heterogeneity across socioeconomic groups. Travel declined considerably less among less-educated and lower-income individuals, even after accounting for mode substitution and variation across neighborhoods in the impacts of public transit service reductions. As policy became less restrictive and travel increased, the size of the socioeconomic gap in travel behavior remained stable, and remote work capabilities became increasingly important in explaining this gap. Our results imply that disparities in travel behavior across socioeconomic groups may become an enduring feature of the urban landscape.
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