Many of the strategies to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, include social and behavioral interventions like handwashing, social distancing, paid sick leave, and risk communication. These measures significantly impact not only disease transmission but also the economy, social life, and other health conditions, such as mental health, substance use, and stress.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) played a crucial role in the pandemic response, and OBSSR worked closely with various NIH institutes, centers, and offices (ICOs) to integrate social and behavioral research into the COVID-19 response.
OBSSR helped coordinate urgent and competitive funding opportunities to encourage COVID-19 behavioral and social sciences research. Key research areas included risk communication, adherence and transmission risks related to public health measures, the economic and social impacts of these measures, the resulting effects on health and health care access, and interventions to mitigate these health impacts.
Additionally, OBSSR led an NIH-wide funding opportunity to encourage existing grantees to address key social and behavioral questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. OBSSR also coordinated the development of COVID-19 survey question repositories for the Health Disaster Research Response program and the PhenX Toolkit to facilitate the use of existing items and promote data comparisons and integration across surveys and clinical studies.
Social, Behavioral, and Economic Impacts of COVID-19
Early in 2020, NIH leadership identified multiple crosscutting research initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A key initiative emerging from these discussions is the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Impacts of COVID-19 in Vulnerable and Health Disparity Population (SBE COVID-19) Initiative. This initiative aims to support research that lessens the impacts of COVID-19 and addresses health needs in the hardest-hit communities.
Public health interventions to control the spread of the COVID-19 have substantial effects on virus transmission but also profoundly impact social and economic activity and health and health care use. These efforts can be expected to exacerbate existing social, economic, and health inequities and disproportionately impact racial/ethnic minorities, those with less privileged socioeconomic status, and other vulnerable populations already experiencing health disparities.
What are the goals of the SBE COVID-19 Initiative?
Through the SBE COVID-19 initiative, NIH funds research to understand and improve health for populations that experience health disparities and other vulnerable groups, through three interrelated goals:
- Improve prediction of various mitigation efforts on transmission reduction and on social and economic impacts by leveraging and augmenting existing surveys, cohort studies, and research networks.
- Assess the downstream health and health care access effects from the economic downturn through comprehensive analysis of a wide range of available data sources.
- Develop scalable interventions to improve COVID-19 mitigation strategies and address secondary health impacts of the pandemic.
Why is this research important?
Efforts to contain and stop the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively impacted many people’s daily lives, their finances, and access to health care—especially for people who were already at risk. The goal is to better assess the benefits and risks of various pandemic and mitigation actions, such as issuing stay-at-home orders, limiting health care services, and closing nonessential businesses. These findings will help us reduce and address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also preparing for the next public health emergency.
Funded Research by Topic Area
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, science produced highly effective vaccines and potent therapeutics. Integrating these medical advancements with evidence from behavioral and social sciences is crucial for ensuring vaccine acceptance, promoting effective mitigation strategies like mask-wearing and physical distancing, and understanding the full range of short- and long-term health impacts on individuals, social networks, and society. These topics highlight key areas of research into the broader impacts of COVID-19.
