Minnesota Social Contacts and Mixing Patterns Survey with Implications for Modelling of Infectious Disease Transmission and Control

Abstract

Emerging infectious diseases, such as the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), pose a substantial challenge to United States (US) public health. In the absence of a vaccine, controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 depends on social distancing measures, such as school closures and stay-at-home orders. Infectious disease epidemiologists create models to test the effects of these different interventions and to predict their impact on different populations. One key input to these models is data on social contact and mixing patterns. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of this type of data for the US. The Minnesota Department of Health and University of Minnesota launched the Minnesota Social Contact Study (MN SCS) in order to capture social contact and mixing pattern data for MN as different social distancing measures are enacted. This report describes the MN SCS survey and survey methodology. We highlight key differences between the MN SCS and the most widely cited and used social contact survey based on data from eight European countries in 2006. We conclude by highlighting changes others may consider when adopting the survey for use in other populations. A copy of the survey instrument is included in the appendix.