Nationally representative social contact patterns among US adults, August 2020-April 2021

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Nicole Luisi, Emory University; Kristin Nelson, Emory University; Aaron Siegler, Emory University; Patrick Sullivan, Emory University; Heather Bradley, Georgia State University; Eric Hall, Oregon Health & Science University; Palmer Hipp-Ramsey, Emory University; Travis Sanchez, Emory University; Kayoko Shioda, Emory University; Benjamin Lopman, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-07-08
• Publisher: ELSEVIER
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epidem.2022.100605
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: EPIDEMICS
• Volume: 40
• Start Page: 100605
• End Page: 100605
• Grant/Funding Information: All were funded by the COVIDVu study, National Institutes of Health (NIH) NIAID 3R01AI143875–02S1, the Woodruff Foundation, and the California Department of Public Health.; KNN and BAL were funded by GlobalMix NIH NICHD R01 HD097175 and CorporateMix CDC U01CK000572.
• Keywords: Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Mathematical models; Transmission; Science & Technology; Infectious Diseases; Social contact; OUTBREAKS; Health disparities; DISEASE; TRANSMISSION; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; JUNE
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Environmental Sciences; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S prompted abrupt and dramatic changes to social contact patterns. Monitoring changing social behavior is essential to provide reliable input data for mechanistic models of infectious disease, which have been increasingly used to support public health policy to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. While some studies have reported on changing contact patterns throughout the pandemic, few have reported differences in contact patterns among key demographic groups and none have reported nationally representative estimates. We conducted a national probability survey of US households and collected information on social contact patterns during two time periods: August-December 2020 (before widespread vaccine availability) and March-April 2021 (during national vaccine rollout). Overall, contact rates in Spring 2021 were similar to those in Fall 2020, with most contacts reported at work. Persons identifying as non-White, non-Black, non-Asian, and non-Hispanic reported high numbers of contacts relative to other racial and ethnic groups. Contact rates were highest in those reporting occupations in retail, hospitality and food service, and transportation. Those testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies reported a higher number of daily contacts than those who were seronegative. Our findings provide evidence for differences in social behavior among demographic groups, highlighting the profound disparities that have become the hallmark of the COVID-19 pandemic.