Social Compliance With NPIs, Mobility Patterns, and Reproduction Number: Lessons From COVID-19 in Europe

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as lockdowns, travel restrictions, and social distancing mandates, play a critical role in controlling the spread of infectious diseases by shaping human mobility patterns. Using COVID-19 as a case study, this research investigates the relationships betw...

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Main Authors: Daniele Baccega, Jose Aguilar, Carlos Baquero, Antonio Fernandez Anta, Juan Marcos Ramirez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072133/
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author Daniele Baccega
Jose Aguilar
Carlos Baquero
Antonio Fernandez Anta
Juan Marcos Ramirez
author_facet Daniele Baccega
Jose Aguilar
Carlos Baquero
Antonio Fernandez Anta
Juan Marcos Ramirez
author_sort Daniele Baccega
collection DOAJ
description Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as lockdowns, travel restrictions, and social distancing mandates, play a critical role in controlling the spread of infectious diseases by shaping human mobility patterns. Using COVID-19 as a case study, this research investigates the relationships between NPIs, mobility, and the effective reproduction number (Rt) across 13 European countries. We employ XGBoost regression models to estimate missing mobility data from NPIs and missing Rt values from mobility, achieving high accuracy. Additionally, using clustering techniques, we uncover national distinctions in social compliance. Northern European countries demonstrate higher adherence to NPIs than Southern Europe, which exhibits more variability in response to restrictions. These differences highlight the influence of cultural and social norms on public health outcomes. In general, our analysis reveals a strong correlation between NPIs and mobility reductions, highlighting the immediate impact of restrictions on population movement. However, the relationship between mobility and Rt is weaker and more nuanced, reflecting the time delays involved, as changes in mobility take time to influence transmission rates. These results underscore the interdependence of restrictions, mobility, and disease spread while demonstrating the potential for data-driven approaches to guide policy decisions. Our approach offers valuable insights for optimizing public health strategies and tailoring interventions to diverse cultural contexts during future health crises.
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spelling doaj-art-e664660176d74bc7bf31a06f0e805aca2025-08-20T03:45:03ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-011313435713437510.1109/ACCESS.2025.358650811072133Social Compliance With NPIs, Mobility Patterns, and Reproduction Number: Lessons From COVID-19 in EuropeDaniele Baccega0https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7331-8634Jose Aguilar1Carlos Baquero2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3933-6850Antonio Fernandez Anta3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6501-2377Juan Marcos Ramirez4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0000-1073Computer Science Department, University of Turin, Turin, ItalyCEMISID, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, VenezuelaDepartment of Informatics Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP), Porto, PortugalIMDEA Networks Institute, Madrid, SpainIMDEA Networks Institute, Madrid, SpainNon-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as lockdowns, travel restrictions, and social distancing mandates, play a critical role in controlling the spread of infectious diseases by shaping human mobility patterns. Using COVID-19 as a case study, this research investigates the relationships between NPIs, mobility, and the effective reproduction number (Rt) across 13 European countries. We employ XGBoost regression models to estimate missing mobility data from NPIs and missing Rt values from mobility, achieving high accuracy. Additionally, using clustering techniques, we uncover national distinctions in social compliance. Northern European countries demonstrate higher adherence to NPIs than Southern Europe, which exhibits more variability in response to restrictions. These differences highlight the influence of cultural and social norms on public health outcomes. In general, our analysis reveals a strong correlation between NPIs and mobility reductions, highlighting the immediate impact of restrictions on population movement. However, the relationship between mobility and Rt is weaker and more nuanced, reflecting the time delays involved, as changes in mobility take time to influence transmission rates. These results underscore the interdependence of restrictions, mobility, and disease spread while demonstrating the potential for data-driven approaches to guide policy decisions. Our approach offers valuable insights for optimizing public health strategies and tailoring interventions to diverse cultural contexts during future health crises.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072133/Non-pharmaceutical interventionsmobilityRtCOVID-19social compliancesocial interactions
spellingShingle Daniele Baccega
Jose Aguilar
Carlos Baquero
Antonio Fernandez Anta
Juan Marcos Ramirez
Social Compliance With NPIs, Mobility Patterns, and Reproduction Number: Lessons From COVID-19 in Europe
IEEE Access
Non-pharmaceutical interventions
mobility
Rt
COVID-19
social compliance
social interactions
title Social Compliance With NPIs, Mobility Patterns, and Reproduction Number: Lessons From COVID-19 in Europe
title_full Social Compliance With NPIs, Mobility Patterns, and Reproduction Number: Lessons From COVID-19 in Europe
title_fullStr Social Compliance With NPIs, Mobility Patterns, and Reproduction Number: Lessons From COVID-19 in Europe
title_full_unstemmed Social Compliance With NPIs, Mobility Patterns, and Reproduction Number: Lessons From COVID-19 in Europe
title_short Social Compliance With NPIs, Mobility Patterns, and Reproduction Number: Lessons From COVID-19 in Europe
title_sort social compliance with npis mobility patterns and reproduction number lessons from covid 19 in europe
topic Non-pharmaceutical interventions
mobility
Rt
COVID-19
social compliance
social interactions
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072133/
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