Dataset Information

Public perception of urban wildlife during a COVID-19 stay-at-home quarantine order in Chicago.

ABSTRACT: Reduced human activity to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by reports of unusual wildlife sightings in highly developed areas. Such experiences with urban nature may have helped residents cope with the stress of the pandemic and increased public interest in urban wildlife; however, this may depend on the species residents encountered. In this study, we surveyed Chicago, Illinois, USA residents during a stay-at-home order to understand if residents in more affluent or greener neighborhoods saw more wildlife species. We also evaluated whether encounters with pest and non-pest species were associated with residents' values about wildlife. Of 593 responses included in our analyses, respondents in higher-income and greener neighborhoods were more likely to perceive increased wildlife sightings and respondents in higher-income areas reported observing a higher number common birds and mammals. Support for seeing wildlife in residential areas was associated with seeing passerine birds and not seeing rats during the stay-at-home order. Our results suggest that perceived increases in wildlife sightings were common during a stay-at-home order, especially for affluent residents, and that residents' perceptions depended on the species encountered. Understanding how changes in human behavior modifies human-wildlife interactions can help mitigate human-wildlife conflict and foster positive engagement with local wildlife.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11252-022-01284-x.

SUBMITTER: Murray MH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9523173 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Public perception of urban wildlife during a COVID-19 stay-at-home quarantine order in Chicago.

Murray Maureen H MH Byers Kaylee A KA Buckley Jacqueline J Lehrer Elizabeth W EW Kay Cria C Fidino Mason M Magle Seth B SB German Danielle D

Urban ecosystems 20220930 1

Reduced human activity to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by reports of unusual wildlife sightings in highly developed areas. Such experiences with urban nature may have helped residents cope with the stress of the pandemic and increased public interest in urban wildlife; however, this may depend on the species residents encountered. In this study, we surveyed Chicago, Illinois, USA residents during a stay-at-home order to understand if residents in more affluent or ...[more]

PMID: 36196074

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Project description:BackgroundEncounters with rats in urban areas increase risk of human exposure to rat-associated zoonotic pathogens and act as a stressor associated with psychological distress. The frequency and nature of human-rat encounters may be altered by social distancing policies to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, restaurant closures may reduce food availability for rats and promote rat activity in nearby residential areas, thus increasing public health risks during a period of public health crisis. In this study, we aimed to identify factors associated with increased perceived exposure to rats during a stay-at-home order, describe residents' encounters with rats relevant to their health and well-being, and identify factors associated with increased use of rodent control.MethodsUrban residents in Chicago, a large city with growing concerns about rats and health disparities, completed an online questionnaire including fixed response and open-ended questions during the spring 2020 stay-at-home order. Analyses included ordinal multivariate regression, spatial analysis, and thematic analysis for open-ended responses.ResultsOverall, 21% of respondents (n = 835) reported an increase in rat sightings around their homes during the stay-at-home order and increased rat sightings was positively associated with proximity to restaurants, low-rise apartment buildings, and rat feces in the home (p ≤ 0.01). Many respondents described feeling unsafe using their patio or yard, and afraid of rats entering their home or spreading disease. Greater engagement with rodent control was associated with property ownership, information about rat control, and areas with lower incomes (p ≤ 0.01).ConclusionsMore frequent rat encounters may be an unanticipated public health concern during periods of social distancing, especially in restaurant-dense areas or in low-rise apartment buildings. Rat presence may also limit residents' ability to enjoy nearby outdoor spaces, which otherwise might buffer stress experienced during a stay-at-home order. Proactive rat control may be needed to mitigate rat-associated health risks during future stay-at-home orders.

Project description:ImportanceDomestic violence (DV) has become a growing public health concern during the COVID-19 pandemic because individuals may be sheltering in place with abusers and facing mounting economic and health-related stresses.ObjectiveTo analyze associations of the 2020 COVID-19 stay-at-home (SH) order with DV police reporting and resource availability, including differences by community area racial/ethnic composition.Design, setting, and participantsThis longitudinal cohort study assessed DV police reports (January-June 2020) obtained from the Chicago, Illinois, Police Department and DV resource availability (March and August 2020) obtained from the NowPow community resource database, both for 77 community areas in Chicago. Data were analyzed July through December 2020.ExposuresThe COVID-19 SH order effective March 21, 2020.Main outcomes and measuresMonthly rates of DV police reports and DV resource availability per 100 000 persons.ResultsOf 77 community areas in Chicago, 28 (36.4%) were majority Black, 19 (24.7%) majority Hispanic/Latinx, 18 (23.4%) majority White, and 12 (15.6%) a different or no majority race/ethnicity, representing an estimated population of 2 718 555 individuals. For each community area, the SH order was associated with a decrease in the rate of DV police reports by 21.8 (95% CI, -30.48 to -13.07) crimes per 100 000 persons per month relative to the same months in 2019. Compared with White majority community areas, Black majority areas had a decrease in the rate of DV police reports by 40.8 (95% CI, -62.93 to -18.75) crimes per 100 000 persons per month relative to the same months in 2019. The SH order was also associated with a decrease in DV resource availability at a rate of 5.1 (95% CI, -7.55 to -2.67) resources per 100 000 persons, with the largest decreases for mental health (-4.3 [95% CI, -5.97 to -2.66] resources per 100 000 persons) and personal safety (-2.4 [95% CI, -4.40 to -0.41] resources per 100 000 persons). The Black majority south side of Chicago had a larger decrease in resource availability (-6.7 [95% CI, -12.92 to -0.46] resources per 100 000 persons) than the White majority north side.Conclusions and relevanceIn this longitudinal cohort study, the rate of DV police reports decreased after the SH order was implemented in Chicago. This decrease was largely observed in Black majority communities, whereas there was no significant change in White majority communities. These findings may reflect decreased DV incidence but may also reflect an exacerbation of underreporting. In addition, DV resource availability decreased disproportionately on the predominantly Black south side of Chicago.

Project description:BackgroundDuring the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries implemented non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to control the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the causative pathogen of COVID-19. Among those NPIs, stay-at-home and quarantine measures were widely adopted and enforced. Understanding the effectiveness of stay-at-home and quarantine measures can inform decision-making and control planning during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and for future disease outbreaks.MethodsIn this study, we use mathematical models to evaluate the impact of stay-at-home and quarantine measures on COVID-19 spread in four cities that experienced large-scale outbreaks in the spring of 2020: Wuhan, New York, Milan, and London. We develop a susceptible-exposed-infected-removed (SEIR)-type model with components of self-isolation and quarantine and couple this disease transmission model with a data assimilation method. By calibrating the model to case data, we estimate key epidemiological parameters before lockdown in each city. We further examine the impact of stay-at-home and quarantine rates on COVID-19 spread after lockdown using counterfactual model simulations.ResultsResults indicate that self-isolation of susceptible population is necessary to contain the outbreak. At a given rate, self-isolation of susceptible population induced by stay-at-home orders is more effective than quarantine of SARS-CoV-2 contacts in reducing effective reproductive numbers [Formula: see text]. Variation in self-isolation and quarantine rates can also considerably affect the duration of outbreaks, attack rates and peak timing. We generate counterfactual simulations to estimate effectiveness of stay-at-home and quarantine measures. Without these two measures, the cumulative confirmed cases could be much higher than reported numbers within 40 days after lockdown in Wuhan, New York, Milan, and London.ConclusionsOur findings underscore the essential role of stay-at-home orders and quarantine of SARS-CoV-2 contacts during the early phase of the pandemic.

Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had severe negative effects on populations worldwide. The seriousness of the pandemic necessitated local and even national lockdowns. In Singapore a national lockdown with aStay-at-Home Order (SHO) lasted for over 7 weeks. The impact of the pandemic and of the long SHO period on neuropsychophysiological functioning remains unknown. Studies prior to the pandemic highlighted the beneficial role of nature exposure on mental health and well-being, although this has not yet been explored in the post-pandemic world. This is the first study to investigate the longitudinal changes in (1) brain frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA; neuroelectric marker of approach-related motivation), (2) depressive mood and (3) symptoms, and (4) emotional response to videos of various urban spaces from before COVID-19 to immediately after the SHO in Singapore was over. Finally, we examined whether higher vs lower exposure to nature during the SHO moderated changes over time.MethodsThe sample included 25 healthy adult Singaporeans (56% female, Mage = 40.4 y, SD = 17.8), who attended two electroencephalography (EEG) lab sessions, within a year before the COVID-19 pandemic (T1) and immediately following the SHO (T2). The participants viewed 9 fixed-frame videos, filmed before the pandemic, from 3 urban public spaces (Busy Downtown, Residential Green, Lush Garden) on the roll-up screen. They rated their emotional response (arousal, valence) after each video and completed Becks Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) as a measure of depressive symptoms, Profile of Mood Scale (POMS), as a measure of momentary mood, and self-reported the frequency and duration of their nature visits during the SHO.ResultsLinear mixed models were fitted to examine changes over time, and effect moderation by amount of nature exposure during the SHO. The results showed decrease in FAA (p < 0.001), increase in depressive symptoms (p = 0.046), and a trend for marginal increase in momentary mood disturbance (p = 0.097) after the SHO. Importantly, people with high nature exposure during SHO had greater decrease in FAA over time (p = 0.005) than those with low nature exposure, FAA scores decreased the most for Residential Green. Valence and Arousal did not change over time, but Arousal towards Busy Downtown decreased among high nature exposure individuals (p = 0.002).ConclusionsPost SHO, brain activity and responsiveness to landscapes changed, and showed a general reduction in positive emotions and increased depressive symptoms among participants. The higher nature exposure during the SHO did not help mitigate this depressive symptoms, as previous research would suggest. This can be due to the modified quality of nature exposure during lockdown, which highlights the importance of high quality nature experience in cities and the provision of diversified visual exposures. Potential neuropsychophysiological consequences of SHO should be considered by policy makers in the post-COVID-19 world.

Project description:BackgroundEffective strategies of prevention have been and can aid in reducing and overcoming contagious diseases including COVID-19, still there is dearth of knowledge regarding general public awareness and perception. The current study aims to determine the existing knowledge and perception of people living in Karachi about isolation, quarantine, social distancing and community containment.MethodsThis cross-sectional online survey was conducted during the months of March and April 2020. The study included men and women of age 18 years and above quarantined during COVID-19. Convenience sampling followed by snowball sampling technique was used. An online structured questionnaire was developed using Google Form. It included questions on socio demographic information, public knowledge and perception about isolation, quarantine, social distancing and community containment. Chi-square test was used for categorical variables and p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsA total of 548 participants were involved in this survey, 34% (n = 184) males with a mean age of 28 ± 10 years ranging from 18 to 75 years. The major source of hearing about COVID-19 was social media (72%, n = 393). Overall knowledge scores revealed that 27% (n = 146) participants had excellent knowledge about symptoms and prevention of the COVID-19. Excellent knowledge of quarantining, isolation and community containment and social distancing was 38% among participants. Participants who had good and excellent knowledge were more likely to have positive perception of isolation (p-value < 0.001). Majority participants (89%, n = 487) felt isolation may or may not be against human rights and this perception was found significantly associated with moderate to excellent knowledge about community mitigation measures (p-value = 0.009).ConclusionThis study concludes that optimal public knowledge and perception related to certain aspects of isolation, quarantine, social distancing and community containment exists however knowledge gaps and misperceptions prevail that need to be addressed.

Project description:IntroductionStay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased population mobility to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection rates. We empirically tested the hypothesis that this public health measure was associated with a higher likelihood of opioid- and stimulant-involved deaths occurring in homes located in Cook County, Illinois.MethodsThe stay-at-home period was from March 21, 2020 to May 30, 2020. We analyzed overdose data from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office using a death location description from case investigations categorized as home, medical, motel, scene, and other. Two groups of decedents were defined as either having an opioid or stimulant listed in the primary cause of death field. We modeled a weekly time series to detect changes in deaths (number) and trends during segmented time periods. Chi-square or Fisher's exact and adjusted logistic regression was used for testing the differences between the stay-at-home and a 13-week preceding period.ResultsThere were 4,169 and 2,012 opioid- and stimulant-involved deaths, respectively, from 2018 to 2020. Both groups were demographically similar: 75% male, 52% White, and aged 45 years (mean). In the 13 weeks before stay-at-home orders, 51% of opioid-involved deaths occurred in homes, which increased to 59% (p<0.0001) during the 10 weeks of the order and decreased back to 51% in the 18 weeks after the order expired. For stimulant-involved deaths, 51% were residential immediately before the orders, with a nonsignificant increase to 52% during the stay-at-home period. Before the pandemic, there were 20 deaths/week, increasing to 37 deaths/week (p<0.0001) during stay-at-home enactment. Deaths involving fentanyl among the opioid-involved group increased from 76% to 89%, whereas those involving heroin decreased from 55% to 37%. The adjusted OR for opioid-involved fatal overdoses occurring at home during this period compared with that occurring the 13 weeks before was 1.37 (95% CI=1.05, 1.79).ConclusionsThe likelihood of a death occurring at home, especially for people using opioids, increased during the stay-at-home order period. Findings have implications for mitigating overdose risks during social isolation.

Dataset Information

Public perception of urban wildlife during a COVID-19 stay-at-home quarantine order in Chicago.

Supplementary information

Publications

Public perception of urban wildlife during a COVID-19 stay-at-home quarantine order in Chicago.

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