Subway Ridership, Crowding, or Population Density: Determinants of COVID-19 Infection Rates in New York City.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

This study aims to determine whether subway ridership and built environmental factors, such as population density and points of interests, are linked to the per capita COVID-19 infection rate in New York City ZIP codes, after controlling for racial and socioeconomic characteristics.

Methods

Spatial lag models were employed to model the cumulative COVID-19 per capita infection rate in New York City ZIP codes (N=177) as of April 1 and May 25, 2020, accounting for the spatial relationships among observations. Both direct and total effects (through spatial relationships) were reported.

Results

This study distinguished between density and crowding. Crowding (and not density) was associated with the higher infection rate on April 1. Average household size was a

SUBMITTER: Hamidi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7835098 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature