COVID-19 research examines mobility and health impacts across NC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (July 27, 2020) – COVID-19 is affecting the health of communities large and small across North Carolina. But how is the pandemic impacting how people travel in North Carolina, and how might those changes interplay with health policies?

A new research project – called the NC COVID-19 Mobility and Health Impacts Study – is now underway to examine those questions. Led by the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, this project brings together an impressive team of multidisciplinary research partners from across the UNC System, including UNC-CH’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, and the NC State University Department of Statistics, to research the interrelationships of public health policies, mobility changes, and the transmission of COVID-19 to inform policy decisions in North Carolina.

“The impacts of COVID-19 cut across many interrelated fields and aspects of transportation safety and health research,” said Dr. Randa Radwan, the Principal Investigator of the project and Director of the UNC Highway Safety Research Center. “This is an important project and we are excited to be able to explore several foundational areas of research using a multitude of mobility and health data resources from NC.”

Specific research questions that will be explored as part of this six-month, $928,602 research project include:

  • Did shelter-in-place policies, emergency declarations, and general news and events (local and nationwide) reduce movement within North Carolina, and did this slow the spread of COVID-19?
  • How has re-opening changed mobility patterns, as compared to the COVID-19 shelter-in-place period?
  • How has COVID-19 impacted the transportation safety sector?
  • Assuming mobility patterns have shifted, has this had a measurable impact on COVID-19 transmission patterns?
  • What recommendations can state or local municipalities implement to reduce the spread of COVID-19 while minimizing other safety and transportation impacts?

“North Carolina is fortunate to be home to world-renowned experts in the fields of transportation safety, public health, social science, and health services,” said Dr. Jeffrey Warren, Executive Director of the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory, which is funding the project through a $29 million appropriation from the North Carolina General Assembly. “We are excited by the HSRC-led team’s project goals to explore mobility and health and, ultimately, the ability to do their part by educating and informing legislators and policymakers in NC who will be making very important near- and short-term decisions for all North Carolinians.”

The North Carolina Policy Collaboratory, based at UNC-Chapel Hill, is currently funding 85 research projects focused on treatment, community testing and prevention of COVID-19. These research projects are intended to provide new data and information to North Carolina lawmakers and policymakers to help guide the state’s pandemic response. The Collaboratory will be required to provide an update to the North Carolina General Assembly in September about the status of its research projects, which will be occurring across 14 UNC System campuses. Learn more about all Collaboratory COVID-19 Research project here: https://collaboratory.unc.edu/current-projects/covid-19-research/.

Initial findings and a public-facing website for the NC COVID-19 Mobility and Health Impacts Study will be shared in September 2020. Sign-up for interim project updates using this form in the meantime.

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About the UNC Highway Safety Research Center
The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center strives to shape the field and future direction of transportation safety. HSRC is committed to excellence in sound research, and improving transportation safety is the preeminent goal. As the birthplace of innovative national programs like Click It or Ticket, graduated driver licensing and Walk to School Day, the Center’s mission is to improve the safety, sustainability, and efficiency of all surface transportation modes through a balanced, interdisciplinary program of research, evaluation, and information dissemination. Learn more at www.hsrc.unc.edu.

About the Collaboratory
The North Carolina Policy Collaboratory facilitates and funds research related to the environmental and economic components of the management of the natural resources within the State of North Carolina and of new technologies for habitat, environmental, and water quality improvement.

The Collaboratory develops and disseminates relevant best practices to interested parties, leads and participates in projects across the state related to natural resource management, and makes recommendations to the General Assembly. Learn more at https://collaboratory.unc.edu.