ArticlePloS one2021
U.S. regional differences in physical distancing: Evaluating racial and socioeconomic divides during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison of Mask-Wearing Behavior on Social Media and Its Relationship With Demographic Characteristics During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social Media Data Analysis Between the United States and Japan.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- National Trends in HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Dispensing to Young Adults, 2016-2023.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on the Diagnosis of Coarctation of the Aorta in Infants.Pediatric cardiology · 2025Article
- Measuring political polarization through visible interactions between religious and non-religious citizens.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Characterising non-household contact patterns relevant to respiratory transmission in the USA: analysis of a cross-sectional survey.The Lancet. Digital health · 2025Article
- Article
- Sex-specific age-related differences in cerebrospinal fluid clearance assessed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.NeuroImage · 2024Article
- Spatiotemporal Ecologic Analysis of COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Outcomes, Oklahoma, USA, February 2020-December 2021.Emerging infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Human behavior and disease dynamics.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- Factors Associated with Severe COVID-19 Among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Large, Nationwide Electronic Health Record Cohort Study in the United States.Advances in therapy · 2023Article
- Explaining the higher COVID-19 mortality rates among disproportionately Black counties: A decomposition analysis.SSM - population health · 2023Article
- Factors Associated With Health Care Delays Among Adults Over 50 During the COVID-19 Pandemic.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2023Article
- Location matters: Regional variation in association of community burden of COVID-19 with caregiver and youth worry.Health & place · 2022Article
- Analysis of a Pediatric Dental School Patient Population Revealed Increasing Trends of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Patients: Implications for Pediatric Dental Public Health and Access to Care.Pediatric reports · 2022Article
- Mediating Effect of Viral Anxiety and Perceived Benefits of Physical Distancing on Adherence to Distancing Among High School Students Amid COVID-19.Journal of Korean medical science · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
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.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.