Social networks and the spread of infectious diseases: The AIDS example

Klovdahl, Alden S.

doi:10.1016/0277-9536(85)90269-2

Cited by 426 publications

(212 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…15,16 Studies on network factors associated with the risk of infection with HIV and other STDs have shown that risk networks comprising direct and indirect ties among members (termed "sociocentric" 6 or "sociometric" 17 networks) influence the risk of infection, e.g., among injection drug users (IDU), men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, and at-risk rural and urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa. 6,[17][18][19][20][21][22] It is often difficult and not feasible to sample, recruit, and measure sociocentric networks. 23 Another approach is to use egocentric network data (the direct relationships of an index individual [ego] with other individuals, e.g., sexual partners), whether directly measured or through self-report, to develop proxy measures of sociocentric network characteristics.…”

Section: Reciprocal Sex Partner Concurrency and Stds Among Heterosexualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reciprocal Sex Partner Concurrency and STDs among Heterosexuals at High-Risk of HIV Infection

et al. 2012

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Inconsistent findings on the relationship of sex partner concurrency to infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) may result from differences in how sex partner concurrency is conceptualized. We examine the relationship of reciprocal sex partner concurrency (RSPC) to diagnosed STDs among heterosexuals. Heterosexually active adults (N=717) were recruited for a cross-sectional study using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) from high-HIV-risk areas in New York City (NYC, 2006(NYC, -2007 and interviewed about their sexual risk behaviors, number of sex partners, last sex partners, and STD diagnoses (prior 12 months). RSPC was when both the participant and her/his last sex partner had sex with other people during their sexual relationship. Odds ratios (OR), adjusted odds ratios (aOR), and 95 % confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated by logistic regression. The sample was 52.4 % female, 74.3 % Black; median age was 40 years. RSPC was reported by 40.7 % and any STD diagnoses by 23.4 %. Any STDs was reported by 31.5 % of those reporting RSPC vs. 17.9 % of those who did not (OR=2.11, 95%CI=1.49-3.0). Any STDs was independently associated with RSPC (aOR=1.54, 95%CI=1.02-2.32), female gender (aOR=2.15, 95%CI=1.43-3.23), having more than three sex partners (aOR=1.72, 95%CI=1.13-2.63), and unprotected anal sex (aOR=1.65, 95%CI=1.12-2.42). Heterosexuals in high-HIV-risk neighborhoods in sexual partnerships that involve RSPC are at greater risk of STDs and, potentially, HIV. RSPC, in addition to sexual risk behaviors and the number of sex partners, may facilitate the heterosexual spread of HIV through STD cofactors and linkage into larger STD/HIV sexual transmission networks.

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Section: Reciprocal Sex Partner Concurrency and Stds Among Heterosexualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reciprocal Sex Partner Concurrency and STDs among Heterosexuals at High-Risk of HIV Infection

et al. 2012

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“…African Americans living in high HIV prevalence areas would have to achieve a much higher level of condom use across all partnership types to halt the heterosexual HIV epidemic and diminish racial disparities. 43,44 Concurrent sexual partnering, defined as engaging in sex with two or more different people within the same or overlapping time period, is crucial to epidemic propagation via sexual networks [45][46][47][48] and has been shown to be independently associated with heterosexually transmitted HIV. 49 African American men are more likely than white men to report concurrent sexual relationships 50,51 and thus, concurrent partnering explains, in part, why the HIV epidemic spread has been particularly accelerated among heterosexual African Americans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Condom Use and Concurrent Partnering among Heterosexually Active, African American Men: A Qualitative Report

et al. 2012

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African Americans are overrepresented among heterosexual cases of HIV/ AIDS in the USA. Inconsistent condom use and concurrent partnering are two sexual behaviors driving the heterosexual HIV epidemic in the African American community. To inform the development of an HIV prevention behavioral intervention to decrease concurrent partnering and increase condom use among African American heterosexual men, we conducted formative research, including 61 structured interviews, 5 focus groups with 25 men, and 30 in-depth qualitative interviews between July and December 2009. We used a grounded theoretical approach and categorizing strategies to code and analyze the qualitative data. Results around condom use confirmed earlier findings among heterosexual men in general: condoms diminish pleasure, interfere with erection, and symbolize infidelity. Although valued by some as a form of disease prevention and pregnancy prevention, condoms are often used only with specific types of female partners, such as new or casual partners, or due to visual risk assessment. Sex partner concurrency was described as normative and ascribed to men's "natural" desire to engage in a variety of sexual activities or their high sex drive, with little recognition of the role it plays in the heterosexual HIV epidemic. Fatherhood emerged among many men as a crucial life event and compelling motivation for reducing sexual risk behavior. Based on these results, we conclude that existing HIV prevention efforts to improve attitudes towards and motivate use of condoms either have not reached or have not been successful with African American heterosexual men. In designing behavioral interventions to decrease concurrent partnering and increase condom use, addressing negative attitudes towards condoms and partner risk assessment is critical, as is integrating novel motivational approaches related to identity as fathers and men in the African American community.

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“…Furthermore, the RW method may be quite practical for tracing the movement of an infectious disease (Klovdahl, 1985), particularly with a population that is hidden but not generally secretive. Ultimately, we did not find RW to be a feasible method for locating drug users, partly because many potential contacts did not have fixed addresses where regular interaction could occur.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Random walks generate localized lists by soliciting the names of the peers and acquaintances of people from the target community (Klovdahl, 1985, McGrady, et al, 1995. Staff recruiters generally use targeted sampling to select persons knowledgeable about the population as "seeds," each of whom is seen as connected directly and indirectly to other members of the population.…”

Section: Random Walk Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Newer, network-based sampling methods also allow the researcher to sample from a hidden population (Heckathorn, 1997, Klovdahl, 1985, Klovdahl, 1989, Klovdahl, et al, 1994, Spreen, 1992. Two designs, the random walk (Klovdahl, 1989, Klovdahl, 1990, Liebow, et al, 1995 and respondent-driven sampling (Broadhead, et al, 1995, Heckathorn, 1997, take advantage of social networks within a population and aim to avoid some biases of earlier sampling methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A comparison of network sampling designs for a hidden population of drug users: Random walk vs. respondent-driven sampling

Bell

Erbaugh

Serrano

et al. 2017

Social Science Research

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Both random walk and respondent-driven sampling (RDS) exploit social networks and may reduce biases introduced by earlier methods for sampling from hidden populations. Although RDS has become much more widely used by social researchers than random walk (RW), there has been little discussion of the tradeoffs in choosing RDS over RW. This paper compares experiences of implementing RW and RDS to recruit drug users to a network-based study in Houston, Texas. Both recruitment methods were implemented over comparable periods of time, with the same population, by the same research staff. RDS methods recruited more participants with less strain on staff. However, participants recruited through RW were more forthcoming than RDS participants in helping to recruit members of their social networks. Findings indicate that, dependent upon study goals, researchers' choice of design may influence participant recruitment, participant commitment, and impact on staff, factors that may in turn affect overall study success.

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Social networks and the spread of infectious diseases: The AIDS example

Cited by 426 publications

References 58 publications

Reciprocal Sex Partner Concurrency and STDs among Heterosexuals at High-Risk of HIV Infection

Reciprocal Sex Partner Concurrency and STDs among Heterosexuals at High-Risk of HIV Infection

Condom Use and Concurrent Partnering among Heterosexually Active, African American Men: A Qualitative Report

A comparison of network sampling designs for a hidden population of drug users: Random walk vs. respondent-driven sampling

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