The Likoma Network Study: Context, data collection and initial results

Abstract

The extent and structure of sexual networks have important consequences for the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. However, very few datasets currently exist that allow a detailed investigation of sexual networks in sub-Saharan African settings where HIV epidemics have become generalized. In this paper, we describe the context and methods of the Likoma Network Study (LNS), one of the few studies that have collected extensive information on sexual networks in sub-Saharan Africa. We start by reviewing theoretical arguments and empirical studies emphasizing the importance of network structures in the epidemiology of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). The island setting of this study is described, and we argue that the choice of an island as a research site limited potential biases that may make the collection of sexual network data difficult. We then document our empirical strategy for the collection of sexual network data and the subsequent identification of sexual network partners. A description of the protocol for the collection of biomarker data (HIV infection) is provided. Finally, we present initial results relating to the socioeconomic context of the island, the size and composition of sexual networks, the quality of the sexual network data, the determinants of successful contact tracing during the LNS, and the prevalence of HIV in the study population.

HIV, HSV-2 and syphilis among married couples in India: patterns of discordance and concordance

“…With the exception of the Likoma Island Study,3 sexual networks are rarely observed directly, and most studies are restricted to the behaviour and serostatus of network ‘nodes’, that is, to the sexually active individuals in the community. This lack of information on network structure, and the transmission that occurs within these networks, fuels debate about the importance of certain aspects of the network including concurrency and transactional sex 4.…”

A New Approach to Measuring Partnership Concurrency and its Association with HIV Risk in Couples

“…We implemented this approach during the second round of the Likoma Network Study (LNS), a study of the networks of heterosexual relationships that connect the population of a small island of Lake Malawi [64, 65]. All inhabitants aged 18–49 years old were asked to (1) list their 5 most recent sexual partners using audio computer-assisted interviewing (ACASI, [64]), and (2) answer questions about their relationship with each of these partners.…”

“…All inhabitants aged 18–49 years old were asked to (1) list their 5 most recent sexual partners using audio computer-assisted interviewing (ACASI, [64]), and (2) answer questions about their relationship with each of these partners. All nominated partners were identified in rosters obtained through a household census, in order to reconstruct the population-level sexual networks of the island [64, 65]. In 520 sexual relationships, both partners were interviewed.…”

The feasibility of measuring social networks among older adults in assisted living and dementia special care units

“…The interview guide to collect both egocentric and sociocentric data was developed using previously tested items and approaches used by the investigative team (Abbott, Stoller, & Rose, 2007;Hampton, 2011;Hampton & Wellman, 2003;Helleringer, Kohler, Chimbiri, Chatonda, & Mkandawire, 2009). Our goal was to develop an instrument and strategy that measured both egocentric and sociocentric social network information, from the residents' perspective, for use in larger longitudinal studies with both cognitively capable and cognitively impaired individuals.…”