RESUMEN
Background: Innovative data integration may serve to inform rapid, local responses to community needs. We conducted a mixed methods pilot study among communities of color or low-income in the San Francisco Bay Area amid the COVID-19 pandemic to assess a hypothesized data model to inform rapid response efforts. Methods: Between 2020-2021, we collected (1) qualitative data through neighborhood reports submitted via Streetwyze, a mobile neighborhood mapping platform; (2) survey data on social and economic circumstances; and (3) geospatial data among residents of three counties. Qualitative data were coded and then integrated with survey and geospatial data. We used descriptive analyses to examine participants' experiences with food in their neighborhoods. Results: Seventy percent of participants reported food insecurity before and after the pandemic began in March 2020. Within neighborhood reports, food was the most frequently occurring sub-theme within the Goods and Resources parent themes (68% and 49% of reports, respectively). Security (88%), resource programs (88%), outdoor space (84%), and equity (83%) were more likely to be mentioned by participants who were food insecure compared to those who were not (12%, 12%, 16%, 17%, respectively). Mentions of food in neighborhood reports more often occurred in census tracts with lower socioeconomic status and more area-level food insecurity. Conclusion: Individuals who were food insecure reported a constellation of needs beyond food, including needs related to safety and greater social equity. Our data model illustrates the potential for rapid assessment of community residents' experiences to provide enhanced understanding of community-level needs and effective support in the face of changing circumstances.
RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Amid the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), racially and economically marginalized communities experienced a disproportionate burden of disease and social consequences (e.g., unemployment, increased exposure). This study seeks to understand strategies that these communities employed to cope with unequal burdens of the pandemic. METHODS: We utilized qualitative data collected between 2020 and 2021 from a mobile mapping platform designed to facilitate real-time, geocoded data collection on individual's experiences and perceptions of their neighborhoods. Reports were iteratively coded by an academic researcher and community partner. We employed an inductive approach to analysis, which allowed findings to emerge organically without constraint of researcher hypotheses. RESULTS: A total of 19 respondents (14 under the age of 45, 16 non-White, 15 with less than half a year of emergency savings) provided 236 qualitative reports. Participants described innovative strategies for exchanging resources as a means of informally networking and building community, the importance of tailored programming (e.g., for specific racial/ethnic groups) in fostering belonging and comfort, and the importance of two specific dimensions of services-interactions with service providers and the quality of goods or services-in providing dignified care. DISCUSSION: Amidst exacerbated racial and economic disparities emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, our study highlights the need for investment in mutual aid, the importance of tailored services and support, and promoting dignity in social services. As other macro-level social stressors become more prevalent as the pandemic continues, these findings can inform how we examine and address them.