Dr. Chris Browning, OSU Professor of Sociology
Title: Racial differences in youth mobility and social distancing practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: Preliminary findings from the Adolescent Health and Development in Context Covid-19 Supplement
Abstract: Recent evidence indicates that racial disparities in COVID-19 infection observed among adults extend to youth populations as well. One proposed explanation for the black-white disparity in infection focuses on socially structured constraints on the capacity to comply with social distancing recommendations among black families. Using recently collected data from the Adolescent Health and Development in Context Covid-19 Supplement, we explore black-white differences in mobility and other social distancing practices outside the home during the summer phase of the pandemic (when infection rates among youth were on the rise). We draw on data from phone surveys with a sample of approximately 150 youth and their caregivers as well as smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment and GPS data on mobility over a weeklong period. Preliminary findings challenge the assumption that black youth are less likely to comply with social distancing recommendations beyond the home setting. We explore alternative explanations for the persistent black-white disparity in COVID-19 infection.
