RAPID: Using Mobile Phone Data to Understand the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Assistance Use in Alaska

COVID-19大流行使国内和国际交通系统紧张，影响了食品和其他必需品的成本和供应。这一大流行病还加剧了经济不平等，对脆弱和低收入社区的影响尤为严重。在阿拉斯加，大多数家庭依赖昂贵的进口食品，许多家庭，特别是有孩子的家庭，正在经历粮食不安全和营养不良。该项目调查了过去三年COVID-19大流行对阿拉斯加城市家庭使用食品援助的影响。通过使用移动数据和空间分析的创新方法，PI团队评估了社会和人口变量与食品储藏室获取之间的联系，确定了最需要的粮食不安全热点。这种方法可以应用于美国其他地方，以确定和帮助面临粮食不安全的社区。与当地合作伙伴合作，研究结果将迅速传播给利益攸关方，为粮食援助计划提供信息。研究结果还将用于大学课程编制和讲习班。更广泛地说，在危机期间对粮食援助需求的评估和反应将改善弱势和低收入美国人的家庭安全。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained national and international transportation systems, affecting the cost and availability of food and other essentials. The pandemic has also exacerbated economic inequalities, disproportionately affecting vulnerable and low-income communities. In Alaska, most households rely on costly imported foods, and many, especially those with children, are experiencing food insecurity and undernutrition. This project investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on household use of food assistance in urban Alaska over the past three years. Through an innovative methodology using mobility data and spatial analysis, the PI team evaluates links between social and demographic variables and food pantry access, identifying food insecurity hotspots where need is greatest. This methodology may be applied elsewhere in the U.S. to identify and assist communities facing food insecurity. Working with local partners, research findings will be rapidly disseminated to stakeholders to inform food assistance programs. Research findings will also be used for university curriculum development and workshops. More broadly, assessment and response to food assistance needs during periods of crisis will improve the household security of vulnerable and low-income Americans.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.