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Aguolu OG, Kiti MC, Nelson K, Liu CY, Sundaram M, Gramacho S, Jenness S, Melegaro A, Sacoor C, Bardaji A, Macicame I, Jose A, Cavele N, Amosse F, Uamba M, Jamisse E, Tchavana C, Giovanni Maldonado Briones H, Jarquín C, Ajsivinac M, Pischel L, Ahmed N, Mohan VR, Srinivasan R, Samuel P, John G, Ellington K, Augusto Joaquim O, Zelaya A, Kim S, Chen H, Kazi M, Malik F, Yildirim I, Lopman B, Omer SB. Comprehensive profiling of social mixing patterns in resource poor countries: A mixed methods research protocol. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301638. [PMID: 38913670 PMCID: PMC11195963 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionate burden of communicable diseases. Social interaction data inform infectious disease models and disease prevention strategies. The variations in demographics and contact patterns across ages, cultures, and locations significantly impact infectious disease dynamics and pathogen transmission. LMICs lack sufficient social interaction data for infectious disease modeling. METHODS To address this gap, we will collect qualitative and quantitative data from eight study sites (encompassing both rural and urban settings) across Guatemala, India, Pakistan, and Mozambique. We will conduct focus group discussions and cognitive interviews to assess the feasibility and acceptability of our data collection tools at each site. Thematic and rapid analyses will help to identify key themes and categories through coding, guiding the design of quantitative data collection tools (enrollment survey, contact diaries, exit survey, and wearable proximity sensors) and the implementation of study procedures. We will create three age-specific contact matrices (physical, nonphysical, and both) at each study site using data from standardized contact diaries to characterize the patterns of social mixing. Regression analysis will be conducted to identify key drivers of contacts. We will comprehensively profile the frequency, duration, and intensity of infants' interactions with household members using high resolution data from the proximity sensors and calculating infants' proximity score (fraction of time spent by each household member in proximity with the infant, over the total infant contact time) for each household member. DISCUSSION Our qualitative data yielded insights into the perceptions and acceptability of contact diaries and wearable proximity sensors for collecting social mixing data in LMICs. The quantitative data will allow a more accurate representation of human interactions that lead to the transmission of pathogens through close contact in LMICs. Our findings will provide more appropriate social mixing data for parameterizing mathematical models of LMIC populations. Our study tools could be adapted for other studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Obianuju Genevieve Aguolu
- Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Heath, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Moses Chapa Kiti
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Kristin Nelson
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Carol Y. Liu
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Maria Sundaram
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Sergio Gramacho
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Samuel Jenness
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Alessia Melegaro
- DONDENA Centre for Research in Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Azucena Bardaji
- Manhiça Health Research Centre, Manhica, Mozambique
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clinic–Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ivalda Macicame
- Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Centre, CISPOC, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Americo Jose
- Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Centre, CISPOC, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Nilzio Cavele
- Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Centre, CISPOC, Maputo, Mozambique
| | | | - Migdalia Uamba
- Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Centre, CISPOC, Maputo, Mozambique
| | | | | | | | - Claudia Jarquín
- Centro de Estudios en Salud (CES), Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - María Ajsivinac
- Centro de Estudios en Salud (CES), Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Lauren Pischel
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Noureen Ahmed
- Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | | | | | | | - Gifta John
- Christian Medical College Vellore, Vellore, India
| | - Kye Ellington
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | | | - Alana Zelaya
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Sara Kim
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Holin Chen
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Momin Kazi
- The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistán
| | - Fauzia Malik
- Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Inci Yildirim
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Lopman
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Saad B. Omer
- Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
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Chung PC, Chen KJ, Chang HM, Chan TC. Evaluating the Effectiveness of School Closure in COVID-19-Related Syndromes From Community-Based Syndromic Surveillance: Longitudinal Observational Study. Interact J Med Res 2023; 12:e44606. [PMID: 38100192 PMCID: PMC10727480 DOI: 10.2196/44606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, a school closure policy was adopted to prevent cluster transmission in schools and subsequent household transmission. However, the effectiveness of school closure is not consistent in studies conducted in different countries. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the association between school closure and the daily standardized incidence of COVID-19-related syndromes in an outpatient syndromic surveillance system. METHODS We calculated the incidence of COVID-19-related syndromes derived from a community-based syndromic surveillance system between the first week of January and the second or fourth weeks after school closure in 2021 and 2022 in Taipei City, Taiwan. The effect of school closure on the standardized incidence of COVID-19-related syndromes was evaluated by interrupted time series analysis using an autoregressive integrated moving average with a distributed lag function. The exogenous variables were changes in human mobility measured by Google COVID-19 community mobility reports. Furthermore, the models quantified the influence of different age groups and the hierarchy of medical facilities, such as clinics or community hospitals. RESULTS School closure was only negatively and significantly associated with the overall standardized incidence of COVID-19-related syndromes in 2021 for 2 weeks after the intervention (coefficient -1.24, 95% CI -2.40 to -0.08). However, in different age groups, school closure had a significantly negative association with the standardized incidence among people aged 13-18 years and ≥65 years for 2 weeks after the intervention in clinics in 2021. In community hospitals, school closure was significantly positively associated with the standardized incidence among people aged 19-24 years in 2021. In 2022, 2 weeks after the intervention, school closure had a significantly negative association with the standardized incidence among people aged 0-6, 7-12, and 19-24 years in community hospitals and aged >45 years in clinics. Furthermore, the standardized incidence was positively associated with movement change toward grocery and pharmacy stores in all age groups in 2022. In addition, movement changes toward residences were significantly positively associated with the standardized incidence among all age groups. CONCLUSIONS Overall, school closure effectively suppresses COVID-19-related syndromes in students owing to the reduction of physical contact. In addition, school closure has a spillover effect on elderly people who stay at home.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping-Chen Chung
- Department of Dentistry, Puzi Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Chiayi County, Taiwan
| | - Kevin J Chen
- Department of Health, Taipei City Government, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Mei Chang
- Department of Health, Taipei City Government, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Ta-Chien Chan
- Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei City, Taiwan
- Institute of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei City, Taiwan
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3
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Aguolu OG, Kiti MC, Nelson K, Liu CY, Sundaram M, Gramacho S, Jenness S, Melegaro A, Sacoor C, Bardaji A, Macicame I, Jose A, Cavele N, Amosse F, Uamba M, Jamisse E, Tchavana C, Briones HGM, Jarquín C, Ajsivinac M, Pischel L, Ahmed N, Mohan VR, Srinivasan R, Samuel P, John G, Ellington K, Joaquim OA, Zelaya A, Kim S, Chen H, Kazi M, Malik F, Yildirim I, Lopman B, Omer SB. Comprehensive profiling of social mixing patterns in resource poor countries: a mixed methods research protocol. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.12.05.23299472. [PMID: 38105989 PMCID: PMC10723497 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.05.23299472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Background Low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionate burden of communicable diseases. Social interaction data inform infectious disease models and disease prevention strategies. The variations in demographics and contact patterns across ages, cultures, and locations significantly impact infectious disease dynamics and pathogen transmission. LMICs lack sufficient social interaction data for infectious disease modeling. Methods To address this gap, we will collect qualitative and quantitative data from eight study sites (encompassing both rural and urban settings) across Guatemala, India, Pakistan, and Mozambique. We will conduct focus group discussions and cognitive interviews to assess the feasibility and acceptability of our data collection tools at each site. Thematic and rapid analyses will help to identify key themes and categories through coding, guiding the design of quantitative data collection tools (enrollment survey, contact diaries, exit survey, and wearable proximity sensors) and the implementation of study procedures.We will create three age-specific contact matrices (physical, nonphysical, and both) at each study site using data from standardized contact diaries to characterize the patterns of social mixing. Regression analysis will be conducted to identify key drivers of contacts. We will comprehensively profile the frequency, duration, and intensity of infants' interactions with household members using high resolution data from the proximity sensors and calculating infants' proximity score (fraction of time spent by each household member in proximity with the infant, over the total infant contact time) for each household member. Discussion Our qualitative data yielded insights into the perceptions and acceptability of contact diaries and wearable proximity sensors for collecting social mixing data in LMICs. The quantitative data will allow a more accurate representation of human interactions that lead to the transmission of pathogens through close contact in LMICs. Our findings will provide more appropriate social mixing data for parameterizing mathematical models of LMIC populations. Our study tools could be adapted for other studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kristin Nelson
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Georgia, USA
| | - Carol Y. Liu
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Georgia, USA
| | - Maria Sundaram
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Sergio Gramacho
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Georgia, USA
| | - Samuel Jenness
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Georgia, USA
| | - Alessia Melegaro
- DONDENA Centre for Research in Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, Italy
| | | | - Azucena Bardaji
- Manhiça Health Research Centre, Manhica, Mozambique
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clinic – Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ivalda Macicame
- Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Centre, CISPOC, Mozambique
| | - Americo Jose
- Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Centre, CISPOC, Mozambique
| | - Nilzio Cavele
- Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Centre, CISPOC, Mozambique
| | | | - Migdalia Uamba
- Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Centre, CISPOC, Mozambique
| | | | | | | | - Claudia Jarquín
- Centro de Estudios en Salud (CES), Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
| | - María Ajsivinac
- Centro de Estudios en Salud (CES), Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
| | - Lauren Pischel
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, Connecticut, USA
| | - Noureen Ahmed
- Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | | | | | | | - Gifta John
- Christian Medical College Vellore, India
| | - Kye Ellington
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Alana Zelaya
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Georgia, USA
| | - Sara Kim
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Georgia, USA
| | - Holin Chen
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Georgia, USA
| | - Momin Kazi
- The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistán
| | - Fauzia Malik
- Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Inci Yildirim
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, Connecticut, USA
| | - Benjamin Lopman
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Georgia, USA
| | - Saad B. Omer
- Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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Leung WTM, Meeyai A, Holt HR, Khieu B, Chhay T, Seng S, Pok S, Chiv P, Drake T, Rudge JW. Social contact patterns relevant for infectious disease transmission in Cambodia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5542. [PMID: 37015945 PMCID: PMC10072808 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31485-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Social mixing patterns are key determinants of infectious disease transmission. Mathematical models parameterised with empirical data from contact pattern surveys have played an important role in understanding epidemic dynamics and informing control strategies, including for SARS-CoV-2. However, there is a paucity of data on social mixing patterns in many settings. We conducted a community-based survey in Cambodia in 2012 to characterise mixing patterns and generate setting-specific contact matrices according to age and urban/rural populations. Data were collected using a diary-based approach from 2016 participants, selected by stratified random sampling. Contact patterns were highly age-assortative, with clear intergenerational mixing between household members. Both home and school were high-intensity contact settings, with 27.7% of contacts occurring at home with non-household members. Social mixing patterns differed between rural and urban residents; rural participants tended to have more intergenerational mixing, and a higher number of contacts outside of home, work or school. Participants had low spatial mobility, with 88% of contacts occurring within 1 km of the participants' homes. These data broaden the evidence-base on social mixing patterns in low and middle-income countries and Southeast Asia, and highlight within-country heterogeneities which may be important to consider when modelling the dynamics of pathogens transmitted via close contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- William T M Leung
- Communicable Diseases Policy Research Group, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Aronrag Meeyai
- Communicable Diseases Policy Research Group, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
- Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Mahidol Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7LG, UK
| | - Hannah R Holt
- Communicable Diseases Policy Research Group, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
| | - Borin Khieu
- Livestock Development for Community Livelihood Organization, St 181, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Ty Chhay
- Livestock Development for Community Livelihood Organization, St 181, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Sokeyra Seng
- Livestock Development for Community Livelihood Organization, St 181, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Samkol Pok
- Livestock Development for Community Livelihood Organization, St 181, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, National Road 2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Phiny Chiv
- Livestock Development for Community Livelihood Organization, St 181, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Tom Drake
- Communicable Diseases Policy Research Group, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - James W Rudge
- Communicable Diseases Policy Research Group, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
- Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Mahidol Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
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5
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Hoang TV, Willem L, Coletti P, Van Kerckhove K, Minnen J, Beutels P, Hens N. Exploring human mixing patterns based on time use and social contact data and their implications for infectious disease transmission models. BMC Infect Dis 2022; 22:954. [PMID: 36536314 PMCID: PMC9764639 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07917-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The increasing availability of data on social contact patterns and time use provides invaluable information for studying transmission dynamics of infectious diseases. Social contact data provide information on the interaction of people in a population whereas the value of time use data lies in the quantification of exposure patterns. Both have been used as proxies for transmission risks within in a population and the combination of both sources has led to investigate which contacts are more suitable to describe these transmission risks. METHODS We used social contact and time use data from 1707 participants from a survey conducted in Flanders, Belgium in 2010-2011. We calculated weighted exposure time and social contact matrices to analyze age- and gender-specific mixing patterns and to quantify behavioral changes by distance from home. We compared the value of both separate and combined data sources for explaining seroprevalence and incidence data on parvovirus-B19, Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) and influenza like illnesses (ILI), respectively. RESULTS Assortative mixing and inter-generational interaction is more pronounced in the exposure matrix due to the high proportion of time spent at home. This pattern is less pronounced in the social contact matrix, which is more impacted by the reported contacts at school and work. The average number of contacts declined with distance. On the individual-level, we observed an increase in the number of contacts and the transmission potential by distance when travelling. We found that both social contact data and time use data provide a good match with the seroprevalence and incidence data at hand. When comparing the use of different combinations of both data sources, we found that the social contact matrix based on close contacts of at least 4 h appeared to be the best proxy for parvovirus-B19 transmission. Social contacts and exposure time were both on their own able to explain VZV seroprevalence data though combining both scored best. Compared with the contact approach, the time use approach provided the better fit to the ILI incidence data. CONCLUSIONS Our work emphasises the common and complementary value of time use and social contact data for analysing mixing behavior and analysing infectious disease transmission. We derived spatial, temporal, age-, gender- and distance-specific mixing patterns, which are informative for future modelling studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thang Van Hoang
- grid.12155.320000 0001 0604 5662I-Biostat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Lander Willem
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Centre for Health Economic Research and Modelling Infectious Diseases, Vaccine & Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pietro Coletti
- grid.12155.320000 0001 0604 5662I-Biostat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Kim Van Kerckhove
- grid.12155.320000 0001 0604 5662I-Biostat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Joeri Minnen
- grid.8767.e0000 0001 2290 8069Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Philippe Beutels
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Centre for Health Economic Research and Modelling Infectious Diseases, Vaccine & Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432School of Public health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, 2052 Sydney, Australia
| | - Niel Hens
- grid.12155.320000 0001 0604 5662I-Biostat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Centre for Health Economic Research and Modelling Infectious Diseases, Vaccine & Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
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6
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Zhao Y, O'Dell S, Yang X, Liao J, Yang K, Fumanelli L, Zhou T, Lv J, Ajelli M, Liu QH. Quantifying human mixing patterns in Chinese provinces outside Hubei after the 2020 lockdown was lifted. BMC Infect Dis 2022; 22:483. [PMID: 35597895 PMCID: PMC9123295 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07455-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Contact patterns play a key role in the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in human populations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the regular contact patterns of the population have been disrupted due to social distancing both imposed by the authorities and individual choices. Many studies have focused on age-mixing patterns before the COVID-19 pandemic, but they provide very little information about the mixing patterns in the COVID-19 era. In this study, we aim at quantifying human heterogeneous mixing patterns immediately after lockdowns implemented to contain COVID-19 spread in China were lifted. We also provide an illustrative example of how the collected mixing patterns can be used in a simulation study of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Methods and results In this work, a contact survey was conducted in Chinese provinces outside Hubei in March 2020, right after lockdowns were lifted. We then leveraged the estimated mixing patterns to calibrate a mathematical model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Study participants reported 2.3 contacts per day (IQR: 1.0–3.0) and the mean per-contact duration was 7.0 h (IQR: 1.0–10.0). No significant differences in average contact number and contact duration were observed between provinces, the number of recorded contacts did not show a clear trend by age, and most of the recorded contacts occurred with family members (about 78%). The simulation study highlights the importance of considering age-specific contact patterns to estimate the COVID-19 burden. Conclusions Our findings suggest that, despite lockdowns were no longer in place at the time of the survey, people were still heavily limiting their contacts as compared to the pre-pandemic situation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-022-07455-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yining Zhao
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Samantha O'Dell
- Laboratory for Computational Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Xiaohan Yang
- Institute for Applied Computational Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jingyi Liao
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kexin Yang
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Laura Fumanelli
- Laboratory for Computational Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Tao Zhou
- Big Data Research Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiancheng Lv
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Marco Ajelli
- Laboratory for Computational Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Quan-Hui Liu
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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7
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Reconstructing social mixing patterns via weighted contact matrices from online and representative surveys. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4690. [PMID: 35304478 PMCID: PMC8931780 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07488-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The unprecedented behavioural responses of societies have been evidently shaping the COVID-19 pandemic, yet it is a significant challenge to accurately monitor the continuously changing social mixing patterns in real-time. Contact matrices, usually stratified by age, summarise interaction motifs efficiently, but their collection relies on conventional representative survey techniques, which are expensive and slow to obtain. Here we report a data collection effort involving over [Formula: see text] of the Hungarian population to simultaneously record contact matrices through a longitudinal online and sequence of representative phone surveys. To correct non-representative biases characterising the online data, by using census data and the representative samples we develop a reconstruction method to provide a scalable, cheap, and flexible way to dynamically obtain closer-to-representative contact matrices. Our results demonstrate that although some conventional socio-demographic characters correlate significantly with the change of contact numbers, the strongest predictors can be collected only via surveys techniques and combined with census data for the best reconstruction performance. We demonstrate the potential of combined online-offline data collections to understand the changing behavioural responses determining the future evolution of the outbreak, and to inform epidemic models with crucial data.
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8
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Potter GE, Carnegie NB, Sugimoto JD, Diallo A, Victor JC, Neuzil KM, Halloran ME. Using social contact data to improve the overall effect estimate of a cluster-randomized influenza vaccination program in Senegal. J R Stat Soc Ser C Appl Stat 2022; 71:70-90. [PMID: 35721226 PMCID: PMC9202735 DOI: 10.1111/rssc.12522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
This study estimates the overall effect of two influenza vaccination programs consecutively administered in a cluster-randomized trial in western Senegal over the course of two influenza seasons from 2009-2011. We apply cutting-edge methodology combining social contact data with infection data to reduce bias in estimation arising from contamination between clusters. Our time-varying estimates reveal a reduction in seasonal influenza from the intervention and a nonsignificant increase in H1N1 pandemic influenza. We estimate an additive change in overall cumulative incidence (which was 6.13% in the control arm) of -0.68 percentage points during Year 1 of the study (95% CI: -2.53, 1.18). When H1N1 pandemic infections were excluded from analysis, the estimated change was -1.45 percentage points and was significant (95% CI, -2.81, -0.08). Because cross-cluster contamination was low (0-3% of contacts for most villages), an estimator assuming no contamination was only slightly attenuated (-0.65 percentage points). These findings are encouraging for studies carefully designed to minimize spillover. Further work is needed to estimate contamination - and its effect on estimation - in a variety of settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail E. Potter
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, and the Emmes Company, Rockville Maryland, USA
| | | | - Jonathan D. Sugimoto
- University of Washington and Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Washington, USA
| | - Aldiouma Diallo
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Niakhar Senegal
| | | | | | - M. Elizabeth Halloran
- University of Washington Department of Biostatistics and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Washington, USA
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Mousa A, Winskill P, Watson OJ, Ratmann O, Monod M, Ajelli M, Diallo A, Dodd PJ, Grijalva CG, Kiti MC, Krishnan A, Kumar R, Kumar S, Kwok KO, Lanata CF, le Polain de Waroux O, Leung K, Mahikul W, Melegaro A, Morrow CD, Mossong J, Neal EF, Nokes DJ, Pan-Ngum W, Potter GE, Russell FM, Saha S, Sugimoto JD, Wei WI, Wood RR, Wu J, Zhang J, Walker P, Whittaker C. Social contact patterns and implications for infectious disease transmission: a systematic review and meta-analysis of contact surveys. eLife 2021; 10:70294. [PMID: 34821551 PMCID: PMC8765757 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Transmission of respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 depends on patterns of contact and mixing across populations. Understanding this is crucial to predict pathogen spread and the effectiveness of control efforts. Most analyses of contact patterns to date have focused on high-income settings. Methods: Here, we conduct a systematic review and individual-participant meta-analysis of surveys carried out in low- and middle-income countries and compare patterns of contact in these settings to surveys previously carried out in high-income countries. Using individual-level data from 28,503 participants and 413,069 contacts across 27 surveys, we explored how contact characteristics (number, location, duration, and whether physical) vary across income settings. Results: Contact rates declined with age in high- and upper-middle-income settings, but not in low-income settings, where adults aged 65+ made similar numbers of contacts as younger individuals and mixed with all age groups. Across all settings, increasing household size was a key determinant of contact frequency and characteristics, with low-income settings characterised by the largest, most intergenerational households. A higher proportion of contacts were made at home in low-income settings, and work/school contacts were more frequent in high-income strata. We also observed contrasting effects of gender across income strata on the frequency, duration, and type of contacts individuals made. Conclusions: These differences in contact patterns between settings have material consequences for both spread of respiratory pathogens and the effectiveness of different non-pharmaceutical interventions. Funding: This work is primarily being funded by joint Centre funding from the UK Medical Research Council and DFID (MR/R015600/1). Infectious diseases, particularly those caused by airborne pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, spread by social contact, and understanding how people mix is critical in controlling outbreaks. To explore these patterns, researchers typically carry out large contact surveys. Participants are asked for personal information (such as gender, age and occupation), as well as details of recent social contacts, usually those that happened in the last 24 hours. This information includes, the age and gender of the contact, where the interaction happened, how long it lasted, and whether it involved physical touch. These kinds of surveys help scientists to predict how infectious diseases might spread. But there is a problem: most of the data come from high-income countries, and there is evidence to suggest that social contact patterns differ between places. Therefore, data from these countries might not be useful for predicting how infections spread in lower-income regions. Here, Mousa et al. have collected and combined data from 27 contact surveys carried out before the COVID-19 pandemic to see how baseline social interactions vary between high- and lower-income settings. The comparison revealed that, in higher-income countries, the number of daily contacts people made decreased with age. But, in lower-income countries, younger and older individuals made similar numbers of contacts and mixed with all age groups. In higher-income countries, more contacts happened at work or school, while in low-income settings, more interactions happened at home and people were also more likely to live in larger, intergenerational households. Mousa et al. also found that gender affected how long contacts lasted and whether they involved physical contact, both of which are key risk factors for transmitting airborne pathogens. These findings can help researchers to predict how infectious diseases might spread in different settings. They can also be used to assess how effective non-medical restrictions, like shielding of the elderly and workplace closures, will be at reducing transmissions in different parts of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andria Mousa
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Winskill
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver John Watson
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver Ratmann
- Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mélodie Monod
- Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Ajelli
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, United States
| | - Aldiouma Diallo
- VITROME, Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Peter J Dodd
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos G Grijalva
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology, Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, United States
| | | | - Anand Krishnan
- Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Supriya Kumar
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kin O Kwok
- JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | | | - Kathy Leung
- School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Wiriya Mahikul
- Faculty of Medicine and Public Health, HRH Princess Chulabhorn College of Medical Science, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Alessia Melegaro
- Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, Milano, Italy
| | - Carl D Morrow
- Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Eleanor Fg Neal
- Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Victoria, Australia
| | - D James Nokes
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | | | - Gail E Potter
- National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, United States
| | - Fiona M Russell
- Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Victoria, Australia
| | - Siddhartha Saha
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Delhi, India
| | - Jonathan D Sugimoto
- Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Seattle, United States
| | - Wan In Wei
- JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Robin R Wood
- Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Joseph Wu
- School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Juanjuan Zhang
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Patrick Walker
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Charles Whittaker
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Del Fava E, Adema I, Kiti MC, Poletti P, Merler S, Nokes DJ, Manfredi P, Melegaro A. Individual's daily behaviour and intergenerational mixing in different social contexts of Kenya. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21589. [PMID: 34732732 PMCID: PMC8566563 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00799-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated contact patterns in diverse social contexts in Kenya and the daily behaviours that may play a pivotal role in infection transmission to the most vulnerable leveraging novel data from a 2-day survey on social contacts and time use (TU) from a sample of 1407 individuals (for a total of 2705 person days) from rural, urban formal, and informal settings. We used TU data to build six profiles of daily behaviour based on the main reported activities, i.e., Homestayers (71.1% of person days), Workers (9.3%), Schoolers (7.8%), or locations at increasing distance from home, i.e., Walkers (6.6%), Commuters (4.6%), Travelers (0.6%). In the rural setting, we observed higher daily contact numbers (11.56, SD 0.23) and percentages of intergenerational mixing with older adults (7.5% of contacts reported by those younger than 60 years vs. less than 4% in the urban settings). Overall, intergenerational mixing with older adults was higher for Walkers (7.3% of their reported contacts), Commuters (8.7%), and Homestayers (5.1%) than for Workers (1.5%) or Schoolers (3.6%). These results could be instrumental in defining effective interventions that acknowledge the heterogeneity in social contexts and daily routines, either in Kenya or other demographically and culturally similar sub-Saharan African settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Del Fava
- Carlo F. Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany
| | - Irene Adema
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Moses C Kiti
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | | | | | - D James Nokes
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- School of Life Sciences and Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research (SBIDER), University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | | | - Alessia Melegaro
- Carlo F. Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy.
- Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy.
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11
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Horton KC, Hoey AL, Béraud G, Corbett EL, White RG. Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Sex Differences in Social Contact Patterns and Implications for Tuberculosis Transmission and Control. Emerg Infect Dis 2021; 26:910-919. [PMID: 32310063 PMCID: PMC7181919 DOI: 10.3201/eid2605.190574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social contact patterns might contribute to excess burden of tuberculosis in men. We conducted a study of social contact surveys to evaluate contact patterns relevant to tuberculosis transmission. Available data describe 21 surveys in 17 countries and show profound differences in sex-based and age-based patterns of contact. Adults reported more adult contacts than children. Children preferentially mixed with women in all surveys (median sex assortativity 58%, interquartile range [IQR] 57%–59% for boys, 61% [IQR 60%–63%] for girls). Men and women reported sex-assortative mixing in 80% and 95% of surveys (median sex assortativity 56% [IQR 54%–58%] for men, 59% [IQR 57%–63%] for women). Sex-specific patterns of contact with adults were similar at home and outside the home for children; adults reported greater sex assortativity outside the home in most surveys. Sex assortativity in adult contacts likely contributes to sex disparities in adult tuberculosis burden by amplifying incidence among men.
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12
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Mousa A, Winskill P, Watson OJ, Ratmann O, Monod M, Ajelli M, Diallo A, Dodd PJ, Grijalva CG, Kiti MC, Krishnan A, Kumar R, Kumar S, Kwok KO, Lanata CF, Le Polain de Waroux O, Leung K, Mahikul W, Melegaro A, Morrow CD, Mossong J, Neal EFG, Nokes DJ, Pan-ngum W, Potter GE, Russell FM, Saha S, Sugimoto JD, Wei WI, Wood RR, Wu JT, Zhang J, Walker PGT, Whittaker C. Social Contact Patterns and Implications for Infectious Disease Transmission: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Contact Surveys. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2021:2021.06.10.21258720. [PMID: 34159341 PMCID: PMC8219108 DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.10.21258720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transmission of respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 depends on patterns of contact and mixing across populations. Understanding this is crucial to predict pathogen spread and the effectiveness of control efforts. Most analyses of contact patterns to date have focussed on high-income settings. METHODS Here, we conduct a systematic review and individual-participant meta-analysis of surveys carried out in low- and middle-income countries and compare patterns of contact in these settings to surveys previously carried out in high-income countries. Using individual-level data from 28,503 participants and 413,069 contacts across 27 surveys we explored how contact characteristics (number, location, duration and whether physical) vary across income settings. RESULTS Contact rates declined with age in high- and upper-middle-income settings, but not in low-income settings, where adults aged 65+ made similar numbers of contacts as younger individuals and mixed with all age-groups. Across all settings, increasing household size was a key determinant of contact frequency and characteristics, but low-income settings were characterised by the largest, most intergenerational households. A higher proportion of contacts were made at home in low-income settings, and work/school contacts were more frequent in high-income strata. We also observed contrasting effects of gender across income-strata on the frequency, duration and type of contacts individuals made. CONCLUSIONS These differences in contact patterns between settings have material consequences for both spread of respiratory pathogens, as well as the effectiveness of different non-pharmaceutical interventions. FUNDING This work is primarily being funded by joint Centre funding from the UK Medical Research Council and DFID (MR/R015600/1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andria Mousa
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis; and the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA), School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Peter Winskill
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis; and the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA), School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver J Watson
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis; and the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA), School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver Ratmann
- Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mélodie Monod
- Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Marco Ajelli
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Laboratory for the Modeling of Biological and Socio-technical Systems, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
| | - Aldiouma Diallo
- VITROME, Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, Senegal
| | - Peter J Dodd
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, UK
| | - Carlos G Grijalva
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology, Department of Health Policy. Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Anand Krishnan
- Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Kin On Kwok
- JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Stanley Ho Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Claudio F Lanata
- Instituto de Investigación Nutricional, Lima, Peru
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Kathy Leung
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health (D24H), Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Wiriya Mahikul
- Faculty of Medicine and Public Health, HRH Princess Chulabhorn College of Medical Science, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Alessia Melegaro
- Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
| | - Carl D Morrow
- Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research (CIDER), School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town South Africa
| | | | - Eleanor FG Neal
- Infection & Immunity, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - David J Nokes
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry UK
| | - Wirichada Pan-ngum
- Department of Tropical Hygiene, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Gail E Potter
- National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville MD, USA
- The Emmes Company, Rockville MD, USA
| | - Fiona M Russell
- Infection & Immunity, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Siddhartha Saha
- Influenza Programme, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, India Office, US Embassy, New Delhi
| | - Jonathan D Sugimoto
- Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, Cooperative Studies Program, Office of Research and Development, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, USA
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wan In Wei
- JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Robin R Wood
- Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Joseph T Wu
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health (D24H), Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Juanjuan Zhang
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Patrick GT Walker
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis; and the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA), School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Charles Whittaker
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis; and the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA), School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Lee T, Suh J, Choi JK, Lee J, Park SH. Estimating the basic reproductive number of varicella in South Korea incorporating social contact patterns and seroprevalence. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2021; 17:2488-2493. [PMID: 33829948 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1898917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Varicella, which is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), is a common infectious disease affecting children. Varicella vaccines have been used for decades; however, vaccination policies vary across countries because of differences in VZV epidemiology. The basic reproductive number R0 a transmissibility measure parameter, also differs from country to country. In this study R0 for varicella was estimated in South Korea using the contact rate matrix derived from averaged POLYMOD contact data, the Korean population, and proportionality factor fitted to the Korean VZV seroprevalence R0 for varicella in South Korea was estimated to be 5.67 (95% CI: 5.33, 6.33). Therefore, to reach the herd immunity threshold, the critical vaccine coverage should be greater than 82.4% with a perfect vaccine, or the primary vaccine failure proportion should be less than 17.6% with 100% coverage. Because of the relatively low seroconversion rate and rapidly waning immunity after one-dose vaccination in South Korea, the herd immunity threshold is difficult to attain with only a one-dose vaccine. Two doses of vaccination may be necessary to effectively interrupt varicella transmission and maintain herd immunity in South Korea. The study results can help guide the decision-making on an effective varicella vaccination policy in South Korea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taeyong Lee
- School of Mathematics and Computing (Mathematics), Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiyeon Suh
- School of Mathematics and Computing (Computational Science and Engineering), Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Ki Choi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeehyun Lee
- School of Mathematics and Computing (Mathematics), Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,School of Mathematics and Computing (Computational Science and Engineering), Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Hee Park
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Oh HS, Ryu M. Prospective diary survey of preschool children's social contact patterns: A pilot study. CHILD HEALTH NURSING RESEARCH 2020; 26:393-401. [PMID: 35004483 PMCID: PMC8650865 DOI: 10.4094/chnr.2020.26.4.393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This pilot study aimed to describe children's social contact patterns and to analyze factors related to their social contacts. Methods The participants were 30 children aged ≥13 months to <7 years, whose teachers at childcare centers and parents at home were asked to maintain diaries of their social contacts prospectively for 24 hours. Data were collected from November 30, 2018, to January 7, 2019. Results The 30 participating children were in contact with 363 persons in a 24-hours period (mean, 12.1±9.1). The number of contacts showed significant relationships with day of the week (p<.001), number of family members/cohabitants (p=.015), area of residence (p=.003), and type of housing (p=.002). A multiple regression model showed significantly higher numbers of contacts on weekdays (B=10.64, p=.010). Physical versus non-physical types of contact showed significant differences in terms of duration, location, and frequency (p<.001). The duration of contacts showed significant relationships with their location and frequency (p<.001), while the frequency of contacts was significantly related to their location (p<.001). Conclusion This is the first survey describing the characteristics of Korean preschool children's social contacts. Further large-scale social contact studies of children should be conducted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyang Soon Oh
- Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, College of Life Science and Natural Resources, Sunchon National University, Suncheon, Korea
| | - Mikyung Ryu
- Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, Daegu University, Daegu, Korea
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Researchers increasingly use social contact data to inform models for infectious disease spread with the aim of guiding effective policies about disease prevention and control. In this article, we undertake a systematic review of the study design, statistical analyses, and outcomes of the many social contact surveys that have been published. METHODS We systematically searched PubMed and Web of Science for articles regarding social contact surveys. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines as closely as possible. RESULTS In total, we identified 64 social contact surveys, with more than 80% of the surveys conducted in high-income countries. Study settings included general population (58%), schools or universities (37%), and health care/conference/research institutes (5%). The largest number of studies did not focus on a specific age group (38%), whereas others focused on adults (32%) or children (19%). Retrospective (45%) and prospective (41%) designs were used most often with 6% using both for comparison purposes. The definition of a contact varied among surveys, e.g., a nonphysical contact may require conversation, close proximity, or both. We identified age, time schedule (e.g., weekday/weekend), and household size as relevant determinants of contact patterns across a large number of studies. CONCLUSIONS We found that the overall features of the contact patterns were remarkably robust across several countries, and irrespective of the study details. By considering the most common approach in each aspect of design (e.g., sampling schemes, data collection, definition of contact), we could identify recommendations for future contact data surveys that may be used to facilitate comparison between studies.
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Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of social contact patterns related to infectious diseases in the Guangdong Province, China. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6119. [PMID: 32296083 PMCID: PMC7160103 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63383-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The social contact patterns associated with the infectious disease transmitted by airborne droplets or close contact follow specific rules. Understanding these processes can improve the accuracy of disease transmission models, permitting their integration into model simulations. In this study, we performed a large-scale population-based survey to collect social contact patterns in three cities on the Pearl River Delta of China in winter and summer. A total of 5,818 participants were face-to-face interviewed and 35,542 contacts were recorded. The average number of contacts per person each day was 16.7 considering supplementary professional contacts (SPCs). Contacts that occurred on a daily basis, lasted more than 4 hours, and took place in households were more likely to involve physical contact. The seasonal characteristics of social contact were heterogeneous, such that contact in the winter was more likely to involve physical contact compared to summer months. The spatial characteristics of the contacts were similar. Social mixing patterns differed according to age, but all ages maintained regular contact with their peers. Taken together, these findings describe the spatiotemporal distribution of social contact patterns relevant to infections in the Guangdong Province of China. This information provides important parameters for mathematical models of infectious diseases.
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Fu H, Lin HH, Hallett TB, Arinaminpathy N. Explaining age disparities in tuberculosis burden in Taiwan: a modelling study. BMC Infect Dis 2020; 20:191. [PMID: 32131756 PMCID: PMC7057673 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-4914-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tuberculosis (TB) burden shows wide disparities across ages in Taiwan. In 2016, the age-specific notification rate in those older than 65 years old was about 100 times as much as in those younger than 15 years old (185.0 vs 1.6 per 100,000 population). Similar patterns are observed in other intermediate TB burden settings. However, driving mechanisms for such age disparities are not clear and may have importance for TB control efforts. Methods We hypothesised three mechanisms for the age disparity in TB burden: (i) older age groups bear a higher risk of TB progression due to immune senescence, (ii) elderly cases acquired TB infection during a past period of high transmission, which has since rapidly declined and thus contributes to little recent infections, and (iii) assortative mixing by age allows elders to maintain a higher risk of TB infection, while limiting spillover transmission to younger age groups. We developed a series of dynamic compartmental models to incorporate these mechanisms, individually and in combination. The models were calibrated to the TB notification rates in Taiwan over 1997–2016 and evaluated by goodness-of-fit to the age disparities and the temporal trend in the TB burden, as well as the deviance information criterion (DIC). According to the model performance, we compared contributions of the hypothesised mechanisms. Results The ‘full’ model including all the three hypothesised mechanisms best captured the age disparities and temporal trend of the TB notification rates. However, dropping individual mechanisms from the full model in turn, we found that excluding the mechanism of assortative mixing yielded the least change in goodness-of-fit. In terms of their influence on the TB dynamics, the major contribution of the ‘immune senescence’ and ‘assortative mixing’ mechanisms was to create disparate burden among age groups, while the ‘declining transmission’ mechanism served to capture the temporal trend of notification rates. Conclusions In settings such as Taiwan, the current TB burden in the elderly may be impacted more by prevention of active disease following latent infection, than by case-finding for blocking transmission. Further studies on these mechanisms are needed to disentangle their impacts on the TB epidemic and develop corresponding control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Fu
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK.
| | - Hsien-Ho Lin
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Timothy B Hallett
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Nimalan Arinaminpathy
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK
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Oh HS, Yang Y, Ryu M. Development of a Social Contact Survey Instrument Relevant to the Spread of Infectious Disease and Its Application in a Pilot Study Among Korean Adults. J Prev Med Public Health 2020; 53:106-116. [PMID: 32268465 PMCID: PMC7142013 DOI: 10.3961/jpmph.19.251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to develop a valid social contact survey instrument and to verify its feasibility for use among Korean adults. METHODS The Delphi technique was used to develop an instrument to assess social contacts, which was then applied in a cross-sectional pilot study. A panel of 15 medical professionals reviewed the feasibility and validity of each item. The minimum content validity ratio was 0.49. Thirty participants used the developed measure to record contacts during a 24-hour period. RESULTS After a systematic review, the survey instrument (parts I and II) was developed. Part I assessed social contact patterns over a 24-hour period, and part II assessed perceptions of contacts in daily life and preventive behaviors (hand hygiene and coughing etiquette). High validity and feasibility were found. In the pilot study, the 30 participants had a combined total of 198 contacts (mean, 6.6 daily contacts per person). The participants' age (p=0.012), occupation (p<0.001), household size (p<0.001), education (p<0.001), personal income (p=0.003), and household income (p<0.001) were significantly associated with the number of contacts. Contacts at home, of long duration, and of daily frequency were relatively likely to be physical. Assortative mixing was observed between individuals in their 20s and 50s. Contact type differed by location, duration, and frequency (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The developed social contact survey instrument demonstrated high validity and feasibility, suggesting that it is viable for implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyang Soon Oh
- Department of Nursing, College of Life Science and Natural Resources, Sunchon National University, Suncheon, Korea
| | - Youngran Yang
- Research Institute of Nursing Science, Jeonbuk National University College of Nursing, Jeonju, Korea
| | - Mikyung Ryu
- Graduate School of Education, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea
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Chun JY, Park WB, Kim NJ, Choi EH, Funk S, Oh MD. Estimating contact-adjusted immunity levels against measles in South Korea and prospects for maintaining elimination status. Vaccine 2019; 38:107-111. [PMID: 31679860 PMCID: PMC6964151 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.10.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
Measles has been reemerging in South Korea since December 2018 resulting in 185 cases by September 2019. We calculated contact-adjusted immunity levels against measles in South Korea using national seroprevalence data in 2014, vaccination uptake rates, and an age-specific contact matrix. We further explored options to achieve a contact-adjusted immunity level of 93% for herd immunity. The assessed contact-adjusted immunity level has increased from 86% in 2014 to 92% in 2018. Herd immunity could be achieved with immunizing 50% of susceptibles among birth cohorts 1999-2003 in 2018. Contact-adjusted immunity levels against measles have increased recently in South Korea, although they might not yet be high enough to guarantee herd immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- June Young Chun
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Wan Beom Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Nam Joong Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Eun Hwa Choi
- Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sebastian Funk
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Myoung-Don Oh
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
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Zhang J, Klepac P, Read JM, Rosello A, Wang X, Lai S, Li M, Song Y, Wei Q, Jiang H, Yang J, Lynn H, Flasche S, Jit M, Yu H. Patterns of human social contact and contact with animals in Shanghai, China. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15141. [PMID: 31641189 PMCID: PMC6805924 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51609-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
East Asia is as a principal hotspot for emerging zoonotic infections. Understanding the likely pathways for their emergence and spread requires knowledge on human-human and human-animal contacts, but such studies are rare. We used self-completed and interviewer-completed contact diaries to quantify patterns of these contacts for 965 individuals in 2017/2018 in a high-income densely-populated area of China, Shanghai City. Interviewer-completed diaries recorded more social contacts (19.3 vs. 18.0) and longer social contact duration (35.0 vs. 29.1 hours) than self-reporting. Strong age-assortativity was observed in all age groups especially among young participants (aged 7-20) and middle aged participants (25-55 years). 17.7% of participants reported touching animals (15.3% (pets), 0.0% (poultry) and 0.1% (livestock)). Human-human contact was very frequent but contact with animals (especially poultry) was rare although associated with frequent human-human contact. Hence, this densely populated area is more likely to act as an accelerator for human-human spread but less likely to be at the source of a zoonosis outbreak. We also propose that telephone interview at the end of reporting day is a potential improvement of the design of future contact surveys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanjuan Zhang
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Petra Klepac
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jonathan M Read
- Centre for Health Informatics, Computation and Statistics, Lancaster Medical School, Lancaster University, Lancashire, UK
| | - Alicia Rosello
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Xiling Wang
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Shengjie Lai
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- WorldPop, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Flowminder Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Meng Li
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Yujian Song
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingzhen Wei
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Jiang
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Juan Yang
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Henry Lynn
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Stefan Flasche
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Mark Jit
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Modelling and Economics Unit, Public Health England, London, UK
- School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hongjie Yu
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China.
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Potter GE, Wong J, Sugimoto J, Diallo A, Victor JC, Neuzil K, Halloran ME. Networks of face-to-face social contacts in Niakhar, Senegal. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0220443. [PMID: 31386686 PMCID: PMC6684077 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We present the first analysis of face-to-face contact network data from Niakhar, Senegal. Participants in a cluster-randomized influenza vaccine trial were interviewed about their contact patterns when they reported symptoms during their weekly household surveillance visit. We employ a negative binomial model to estimate effects of covariates on contact degree. We estimate the mean contact degree for asymptomatic Niakhar residents to be 16.5 (95% C.I. 14.3, 18.7) in the morning and 14.8 in the afternoon (95% C.I. 12.7, 16.9). We estimate that symptomatic people make 10% fewer contacts than asymptomatic people (95% C.I. 5%, 16%; p = 0.006), and those aged 0-5 make 33% fewer contacts than adults (95% C.I. 29%, 37%; p < 0.001). By explicitly modelling the partial rounding pattern observed in our data, we make inference for both the underlying (true) distribution of contacts as well as for the reported distribution. We created an estimator for homophily by compound (household) membership and estimate that 48% of contacts by symptomatic people are made to their own compound members in the morning (95% CI, 45%, 52%) and 60% in the afternoon/evening (95% CI, 56%, 64%). We did not find a significant effect of symptom status on compound homophily. We compare our findings to those from other countries and make design recommendations for future surveys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail E. Potter
- The Emmes Company, Rockville, MD, United States of America
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States of America
| | - Jimmy Wong
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Sugimoto
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Aldiouma Diallo
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Niakhar, Senegal
| | | | - Kathleen Neuzil
- University of Maryland Center for Vaccine Development, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - M. Elizabeth Halloran
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
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Munasinghe L, Asai Y, Nishiura H. Quantifying heterogeneous contact patterns in Japan: a social contact survey. Theor Biol Med Model 2019; 16:6. [PMID: 30890153 PMCID: PMC6425701 DOI: 10.1186/s12976-019-0102-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social contact surveys can greatly help in quantifying the heterogeneous patterns of infectious disease transmission. The present study aimed to conduct a contact survey in Japan, offering estimates of contact by age and location and validating a social contact matrix using a seroepidemiological dataset of influenza. METHODS An internet-based questionnaire survey was conducted, covering all 47 prefectures in Japan and including a total of 1476 households. The social contact matrix was quantified assuming reciprocity and using the maximum likelihood method. By imposing several parametric assumptions for the next-generation matrix, the empirical seroepidemiological data of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 was analysed and we estimated the basic reproduction number, R0. RESULTS In total, the reported number of contacts on weekdays was 10,682 whereas that on weekend days was 8867. Strong age-dependent assortativity was identified. Forty percent of weekday contacts took place at schools or workplaces, but that declined to 14% on weekends. Accounting for the age-dependent heterogeneity with the known social contact matrix, the minimum value of the Akaike information criterion was obtained and R0 was estimated at 1.45 (95% confidence interval: 1.42, 1.49). CONCLUSIONS Survey datasets will be useful for parameterizing the heterogeneous transmission model of various directly transmitted infectious diseases in Japan. Age-dependent assortativity, especially among children, along with numerous contacts in school settings on weekdays implies the potential effectiveness of school closure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lankeshwara Munasinghe
- Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15 Jo Nishi 7 Chome, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yusuke Asai
- Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15 Jo Nishi 7 Chome, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishiura
- Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15 Jo Nishi 7 Chome, Sapporo, Japan
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Who interacts with whom? Social mixing insights from a rural population in India. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0209039. [PMID: 30576333 PMCID: PMC6303083 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, with most ALRI deaths occurring in children in developing countries. Computational models can be used to test the efficacy of respiratory infection prevention interventions, but require data on social mixing patterns, which are sparse in developing countries. We describe social mixing patterns among a rural community in northern India. During October 2015-February 2016, trained field workers conducted cross-sectional face-to-face standardized surveys in a convenience sample of 330 households in Faridabad District, Haryana State, India. Respondents were asked about the number, duration, and setting of social interactions during the previous 24 hours. Responses were compared by age and gender. Among the 3083 residents who were approached, 2943 (96%) participated, of whom 51% were male and the median age was 22 years (interquartile range (IQR) 9–37). Respondents reported contact (defined as having had a face-to-face conversation within 3 feet, which may or may not have included physical contact) with a median of 17 (IQR 12–25) people during the preceding 24 hours. Median total contact time per person was 36 person-hours (IQR 26–52). Female older children and adults had significantly fewer contacts than males of similar age (Kruskal-Wallis χ2 = 226.59, p<0.001), but spent a longer duration in contact with young children (Kruskal-Wallis χ2 = 27.26, p<0.001), suggesting a potentially complex pattern of differential risk of infection between genders. After controlling for household size and day of the week, respondent age was significantly associated with number and duration of contacts. These findings can be used to model the impact of interventions to reduce lower respiratory tract infections in India.
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le Polain de Waroux O, Flasche S, Kucharski AJ, Langendorf C, Ndazima D, Mwanga-Amumpaire J, Grais RF, Cohuet S, Edmunds WJ. Identifying human encounters that shape the transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae and other acute respiratory infections. Epidemics 2018; 25:72-79. [PMID: 30054196 PMCID: PMC6227246 DOI: 10.1016/j.epidem.2018.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Although patterns of social contacts are believed to be an important determinant of infectious disease transmission, it remains unclear how the frequency and nature of human interactions shape an individual's risk of infection. We analysed data on daily social encounters individually matched to data on S. pneumoniae carriage and acute respiratory symptoms (ARS), from 566 individuals who took part in a survey in South-West Uganda. We found that the frequency of physical (i.e. skin-to-skin), long (≥1 h) and household contacts - which capture some measure of close (i.e. relatively intimate) contact - was higher among pneumococcal carriers than non-carriers, and among people with ARS compared to those without, irrespective of their age. With each additional physical encounter the age-adjusted risk of carriage and ARS increased by 6% (95%CI 2-9%) and 7% (2-13%) respectively. In contrast, the number of casual contacts (<5 min long) was not associated with either pneumococcal carriage or ARS. A detailed analysis by age of contacts showed that the number of close contacts with young children (<5 years) was particularly higher among older children and adult carriers than non-carriers, while the higher number of contacts among people suffering from ARS was more homogeneous across contacts of all ages. Our findings provide key evidence that the frequency of close interpersonal contact is important for transmission of respiratory infections, but not that of casual contacts. Those results are essential for both improving disease prevention and control efforts as well as informing research on infectious disease dynamics and transmission models, and more studies should be undertaken to further validate our results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier le Polain de Waroux
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Stefan Flasche
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT, London, United Kingdom
| | - Adam J Kucharski
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT, London, United Kingdom
| | - Celine Langendorf
- Department of Research, Epicentre, 8 Rue Saint-Sabin, 75011, Paris, France
| | - Donny Ndazima
- Epicentre Mbarara Research Centre, PO Box 1956, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Juliet Mwanga-Amumpaire
- Epicentre Mbarara Research Centre, PO Box 1956, Mbarara, Uganda; Mbarara Universityof Science and Technology, Mbarara University, PO Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Rebecca F Grais
- Department of Research, Epicentre, 8 Rue Saint-Sabin, 75011, Paris, France
| | - Sandra Cohuet
- Department of Field Epidemiology, Epicentre, 8 Rue Saint-Sabin, 75011, Paris, France
| | - W John Edmunds
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT, London, United Kingdom
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Chan TC, Yen TJ, Hu TH, Fu YC, Hwang JS. Detecting concurrent mood in daily contact networks: an online participatory cohort study with a diary approach. BMJ Open 2018; 8:e020600. [PMID: 29991627 PMCID: PMC6082495 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This paper examines how people express personal mood concurrently with those connected with them by one or two degrees of separation. DESIGN Participatory cohort study. SETTING Online contact diary. PARTICIPANTS 133 participants kept online diaries for 7 months in 2014, which included 127 455 contacts with 12 070 persons. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Diary keepers rated a contacted person's mood during each specific contact, as well as the strength of ties between any pairs of such contacted persons. Such rich information about ties and contacts enable us to construct a complete contact network for each diary keeper, along with the network members' mood and tie strength. We calculate one's overall mood by that person's average mood score during the study period and take the shortest path between any given pair of contacted persons as the degree of separation. We further assume that two connecting persons in a contact network have made contact with each other during the study period, which allows us to examine whether and how personal moods occur concurrently within these contact networks. RESULTS Using mixed-effects models while controlling for covariates at individual, tie and contact levels, we show that personal mood score positively and significantly correlates with the average mood among those directly tied to the person. The same effect remains positive and significant for those connected to the person by two degrees, although the effect size is reduced by about one-half. The mood of anyone separated by more than two degrees is statistically irrelevant. CONCLUSIONS Applying network perspectives and rich data at both tie and contact levels to inquiries about subjective well-being, the current study sheds new light on how an improved diary approach can help explain the sophisticated ways in which individuals express their personal moods concurrently during social interactions in everyday life, contact by contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ta-Chien Chan
- Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tso-Jung Yen
- Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tsuey-Hwa Hu
- Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yang-Chih Fu
- Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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Brinkhues S, Schram MT, Hoebe CJPA, Kretzschmar MEE, Koster A, Dagnelie PC, Sep SJS, van Kuijk SMJ, Savelkoul PHM, Dukers-Muijrers NHTM. Social networks in relation to self-reported symptomatic infections in individuals aged 40-75 - the Maastricht study. BMC Infect Dis 2018; 18:300. [PMID: 29973154 PMCID: PMC6030801 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-018-3197-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Most infections are spread through social networks (detrimental effect). However, social networks may also lower infection acquisition (beneficial effect). This study aimed to examine associations between social network parameters and prevalence of self-reported upper and lower respiratory, gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections in a population aged 40–75. Methods In this population-based cross-sectional cohort study (N = 3004, mean age 60.0 ± 8.2 years, 49% women), infections within the past two months were assessed by self-administered questionnaires. Social network parameters were assessed using a name generator questionnaire. To examine the associated beneficial and detrimental network parameters, univariable and multivariable logistic regression was used. Results Participants reported an average of 10 people (alters) with whom they had 231 contacts per half year. Prevalences were 31.1% for upper respiratory, 11.5% for lower respiratory, 12.5% for gastrointestinal, and 5.7% for urinary tract infections. Larger network size, and a higher percentage of alters that were friends or acquaintances were associated with higher odds of upper respiratory, lower respiratory and/or gastrointestinal infections (detrimental). A higher total number of contacts, higher percentages of alters of the same age, and higher percentages of family members/acquaintances were associated with lower odds of upper respiratory, lower respiratory and/or gastrointestinal infections (beneficial). Conclusion We identified both detrimental and beneficial associations of social network parameters with the prevalence of infections. Our findings can be used to complement mathematical models on infection spread, as well as to optimize current infectious disease control. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-018-3197-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Brinkhues
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+); CAPHRI, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, Public Health Service South Limburg, Postbus 33, 6400AA, Heerlen, The Netherlands
| | - Miranda T Schram
- Department of Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+); CARIM, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Christian J P A Hoebe
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+); CAPHRI, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, Public Health Service South Limburg, Postbus 33, 6400AA, Heerlen, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam E E Kretzschmar
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Annemarie Koster
- Department of Social Medicine; CAPHRI, School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter C Dagnelie
- Department of Epidemiology, CARIM, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht; CAPHRI, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Simone J S Sep
- Department of Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+); CARIM, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sander M J van Kuijk
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Technology Assessment (KEMTA), Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), P.O. Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Paul H M Savelkoul
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+); CAPHRI, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Microbiology & Infection Control, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nicole H T M Dukers-Muijrers
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+); CAPHRI, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. .,Department of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, Public Health Service South Limburg, Postbus 33, 6400AA, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
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27
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Kwok KO, Cowling B, Wei V, Riley S, Read JM. Temporal variation of human encounters and the number of locations in which they occur: a longitudinal study of Hong Kong residents. J R Soc Interface 2018; 15:20170838. [PMID: 29367241 PMCID: PMC5805989 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Patterns of social contact between individuals are important for the transmission of many pathogens and shaping patterns of immunity at the population scale. To refine our understanding of how human social behaviour may change over time, we conducted a longitudinal study of Hong Kong residents. We recorded the social contact patterns for 1450 individuals, up to four times each between May 2012 and September 2013. We found individuals made contact with an average of 12.5 people within 2.9 geographical locations, and spent an average estimated total duration of 9.1 h in contact with others during a day. Distributions of the number of contacts and locations in which contacts were made were not significantly different between study waves. Encounters were assortative by age, and the age mixing pattern was broadly consistent across study waves. Fitting regression models, we examined the association of contact rates (number of contacts, total duration of contact, number of locations) with covariates and calculated the inter- and intra-participant variation in contact rates. Participant age was significantly associated with the number of contacts made, the total duration of contact and the number of locations in which contact occurred, with children and parental-age adults having the highest rates of contact. The number of contacts and contact duration increased with the number of contact locations. Intra-individual variation in contact rate was consistently greater than inter-individual variation. Despite substantial individual-level variation, remarkable consistency was observed in contact mixing at the population scale. This suggests that aggregate measures of mixing behaviour derived from cross-sectional information may be appropriate for population-scale modelling purposes, and that if more detailed models of social interactions are required for improved public health modelling, further studies are needed to understand the social processes driving intra-individual variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kin On Kwok
- The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
- Stanley Ho Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Ben Cowling
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Vivian Wei
- The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Steven Riley
- MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling, Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Jonathan M Read
- Centre for Health Informatics, Computation and Statistics, Lancaster Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancashire, UK
- Institute of Infection and Global Health, The Farr Institute@HeRC, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Prem K, Cook AR, Jit M. Projecting social contact matrices in 152 countries using contact surveys and demographic data. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005697. [PMID: 28898249 PMCID: PMC5609774 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 448] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneities in contact networks have a major effect in determining whether a pathogen can become epidemic or persist at endemic levels. Epidemic models that determine which interventions can successfully prevent an outbreak need to account for social structure and mixing patterns. Contact patterns vary across age and locations (e.g. home, work, and school), and including them as predictors in transmission dynamic models of pathogens that spread socially will improve the models' realism. Data from population-based contact diaries in eight European countries from the POLYMOD study were projected to 144 other countries using a Bayesian hierarchical model that estimated the proclivity of age-and-location-specific contact patterns for the countries, using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. Household level data from the Demographic and Health Surveys for nine lower-income countries and socio-demographic factors from several on-line databases for 152 countries were used to quantify similarity of countries to estimate contact patterns in the home, work, school and other locations for countries for which no contact data are available, accounting for demographic structure, household structure where known, and a variety of metrics including workforce participation and school enrolment. Contacts are highly assortative with age across all countries considered, but pronounced regional differences in the age-specific contacts at home were noticeable, with more inter-generational contacts in Asian countries than in other settings. Moreover, there were variations in contact patterns by location, with work-place contacts being least assortative. These variations led to differences in the effect of social distancing measures in an age structured epidemic model. Contacts have an important role in transmission dynamic models that use contact rates to characterize the spread of contact-transmissible diseases. This study provides estimates of mixing patterns for societies for which contact data such as POLYMOD are not yet available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiesha Prem
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alex R. Cook
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
- Program in Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Statistics and Applied Probability, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mark Jit
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Modelling and Economics Unit, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, London, United Kingdom
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Leung K, Jit M, Lau EHY, Wu JT. Social contact patterns relevant to the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in Hong Kong. Sci Rep 2017. [PMID: 28801623 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3874808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The spread of many respiratory infections is determined by contact patterns between infectious and susceptible individuals in the population. There are no published data for quantifying social contact patterns relevant to the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in Hong Kong which is a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases due to its high population density and connectivity in the air transportation network. We adopted a commonly used diary-based design to conduct a social contact survey in Hong Kong in 2015/16 using both paper and online questionnaires. Participants using paper questionnaires reported more contacts and longer contact duration than those using online questionnaires. Participants reported 13 person-hours of contact and 8 contacts per day on average, which decreased over age but increased with household size, years of education and income level. Prolonged and frequent contacts, and contacts at home, school and work were more likely to involve physical contacts. Strong age-assortativity was observed in all age groups. We evaluated the characteristics of social contact patterns relevant to the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in Hong Kong. Our findings could help to improve the design of future social contact surveys, parameterize transmission models of respiratory infectious diseases, and inform intervention strategies based on model outputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy Leung
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Mark Jit
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Modelling and Economics Unit, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eric H Y Lau
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Joseph T Wu
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
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30
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Social contact patterns relevant to the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in Hong Kong. Sci Rep 2017; 7:7974. [PMID: 28801623 PMCID: PMC5554254 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08241-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of many respiratory infections is determined by contact patterns between infectious and susceptible individuals in the population. There are no published data for quantifying social contact patterns relevant to the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in Hong Kong which is a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases due to its high population density and connectivity in the air transportation network. We adopted a commonly used diary-based design to conduct a social contact survey in Hong Kong in 2015/16 using both paper and online questionnaires. Participants using paper questionnaires reported more contacts and longer contact duration than those using online questionnaires. Participants reported 13 person-hours of contact and 8 contacts per day on average, which decreased over age but increased with household size, years of education and income level. Prolonged and frequent contacts, and contacts at home, school and work were more likely to involve physical contacts. Strong age-assortativity was observed in all age groups. We evaluated the characteristics of social contact patterns relevant to the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in Hong Kong. Our findings could help to improve the design of future social contact surveys, parameterize transmission models of respiratory infectious diseases, and inform intervention strategies based on model outputs.
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31
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Melegaro A, Del Fava E, Poletti P, Merler S, Nyamukapa C, Williams J, Gregson S, Manfredi P. Social Contact Structures and Time Use Patterns in the Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0170459. [PMID: 28099479 PMCID: PMC5242544 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patterns of person-to-person contacts relevant for infectious diseases transmission are still poorly quantified in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where socio-demographic structures and behavioral attitudes are expected to be different from those of more developed countries. METHODS AND FINDINGS We conducted a diary-based survey on daily contacts and time-use of individuals of different ages in one rural and one peri-urban site of Manicaland, Zimbabwe. A total of 2,490 diaries were collected and used to derive age-structured contact matrices, to analyze time spent by individuals in different settings, and to identify the key determinants of individuals' mixing patterns. Overall 10.8 contacts per person/day were reported, with a significant difference between the peri-urban and the rural site (11.6 versus 10.2). A strong age-assortativeness characterized contacts of school-aged children, whereas the high proportion of extended families and the young population age-structure led to a significant intergenerational mixing at older ages. Individuals spent on average 67% of daytime at home, 2% at work, and 9% at school. Active participation in school and work resulted the key drivers of the number of contacts and, similarly, household size, class size, and time spent at work influenced the number of home, school, and work contacts, respectively. We found that the heterogeneous nature of home contacts is critical for an epidemic transmission chain. In particular, our results suggest that, during the initial phase of an epidemic, about 50% of infections are expected to occur among individuals younger than 12 years and less than 20% among individuals older than 35 years. CONCLUSIONS With the current work, we have gathered data and information on the ways through which individuals in SSA interact, and on the factors that mostly facilitate this interaction. Monitoring these processes is critical to realistically predict the effects of interventions on infectious diseases dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Melegaro
- Carlo F. Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, Milano, Italy
- Department of Policy Analysis and Public Management, Bocconi University, Milano, Italy
| | - Emanuele Del Fava
- Carlo F. Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, Milano, Italy
| | - Piero Poletti
- Carlo F. Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, Milano, Italy
- Center for Information Technology, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
| | - Stefano Merler
- Center for Information Technology, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
| | - Constance Nyamukapa
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - John Williams
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Gregson
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Piero Manfredi
- Department of Economics and Management, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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32
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Watson CH, Coriakula J, Ngoc DTT, Flasche S, Kucharski AJ, Lau CL, Thieu NTV, le Polain de Waroux O, Rawalai K, Van TT, Taufa M, Baker S, Nilles EJ, Kama M, Edmunds WJ. Social mixing in Fiji: Who-eats-with-whom contact patterns and the implications of age and ethnic heterogeneity for disease dynamics in the Pacific Islands. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186911. [PMID: 29211731 PMCID: PMC5718486 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Empirical data on contact patterns can inform dynamic models of infectious disease transmission. Such information has not been widely reported from Pacific islands, nor strongly multi-ethnic settings, and few attempts have been made to quantify contact patterns relevant for the spread of gastrointestinal infections. As part of enteric fever investigations, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of the general public in Fiji, finding that within the 9,650 mealtime contacts reported by 1,814 participants, there was strong like-with-like mixing by age and ethnicity, with higher contact rates amongst iTaukei than non-iTaukei Fijians. Extra-domiciliary lunchtime contacts follow these mixing patterns, indicating the overall data do not simply reflect household structures. Inter-ethnic mixing was most common amongst school-age children. Serological responses indicative of recent Salmonella Typhi infection were found to be associated, after adjusting for age, with increased contact rates between meal-sharing iTaukei, with no association observed for other contact groups. Animal ownership and travel within the geographical division were common. These are novel data that identify ethnicity as an important social mixing variable, and use retrospective mealtime contacts as a socially acceptable metric of relevance to enteric, contact and respiratory diseases that can be collected in a single visit to participants. Application of these data to other island settings will enable communicable disease models to incorporate locally relevant mixing patterns in parameterisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conall H Watson
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Dung Tran Thi Ngoc
- The Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit-Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Stefan Flasche
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Adam J Kucharski
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Colleen L Lau
- Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Nga Tran Vu Thieu
- The Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit-Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Olivier le Polain de Waroux
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Tan Trinh Van
- School of Medicine, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji
| | - Mere Taufa
- Fiji Centre for Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Suva, Fiji
| | - Stephen Baker
- The Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit-Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eric J Nilles
- Division of Pacific Technical Support, World Health Organization-Western Pacific Region, Suva, Fiji
| | - Mike Kama
- Fiji Centre for Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Suva, Fiji
| | - W John Edmunds
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Spatial and Temporal Spread of Acute Viral Respiratory Infections in Young Children Living in High-altitude Rural Communities: A Prospective Household-based Study. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2016; 35:1057-61. [PMID: 27404599 PMCID: PMC5021582 DOI: 10.1097/inf.0000000000001234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies have described patterns of transmission of viral acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children in developing countries. We examined the spatial and temporal spread of viral ARI among young children in rural Peruvian highland communities. Previous studies have described intense social interactions in those communities, which could influence the transmission of viral infections. METHODS We enrolled and followed children <3 years of age for detection of ARI during the 2009 to 2011 respiratory seasons in a rural setting with relatively wide geographic dispersion of households and communities. Viruses detected included influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus and parainfluenza 2 and 3 viruses (PIV2, PIV3). We used geospatial analyses to identify specific viral infection hot spots with high ARI incidence. We also explored the local spread of ARI from index cases using standard deviational ellipses. RESULTS Geospatial analyses revealed hot spots of high ARI incidence around the index cases of influenza outbreaks and RSV outbreak in 2010. Although PIV3 in 2009 and PIV2 in 2010 showed distinct spatial hot spots, clustering was not in proximity to their respective index cases. No significant aggregation around index cases was noted for other viruses. Standard deviational ellipse analyses suggested that influenza B and RSV in 2010, and human metapneumovirus in 2011 spread temporally in alignment with the major road network. CONCLUSIONS Despite the geographic dispersion of communities in this rural setting, we observed a rapid spread of viral ARI among young children. Influenza strains and RSV in 2010 had distinctive outbreaks arising from their index cases.
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Kiti MC, Tizzoni M, Kinyanjui TM, Koech DC, Munywoki PK, Meriac M, Cappa L, Panisson A, Barrat A, Cattuto C, Nokes DJ. Quantifying social contacts in a household setting of rural Kenya using wearable proximity sensors. EPJ DATA SCIENCE 2016; 5:21. [PMID: 27471661 PMCID: PMC4944592 DOI: 10.1140/epjds/s13688-016-0084-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Close proximity interactions between individuals influence how infections spread. Quantifying close contacts in developing world settings, where such data is sparse yet disease burden is high, can provide insights into the design of intervention strategies such as vaccination. Recent technological advances have enabled collection of time-resolved face-to-face human contact data using radio frequency proximity sensors. The acceptability and practicalities of using proximity devices within the developing country setting have not been investigated. We present and analyse data arising from a prospective study of 5 households in rural Kenya, followed through 3 consecutive days. Pre-study focus group discussions with key community groups were held. All residents of selected households carried wearable proximity sensors to collect data on their close (<1.5 metres) interactions. Data collection for residents of three of the 5 households was contemporaneous. Contact matrices and temporal networks for 75 individuals are defined and mixing patterns by age and time of day in household contacts determined. Our study demonstrates the stability of numbers and durations of contacts across days. The contact durations followed a broad distribution consistent with data from other settings. Contacts within households occur mainly among children and between children and adults, and are characterised by daily regular peaks in the morning, midday and evening. Inter-household contacts are between adults and more sporadic when measured over several days. Community feedback indicated privacy as a major concern especially regarding perceptions of non-participants, and that community acceptability required thorough explanation of study tools and procedures. Our results show for a low resource setting how wearable proximity sensors can be used to objectively collect high-resolution temporal data without direct supervision. The methodology appears acceptable in this population following adequate community engagement on study procedures. A target for future investigation is to determine the difference in contact networks within versus between households. We suggest that the results from this study may be used in the design of future studies using similar electronic devices targeting communities, including households and schools, in the developing world context. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL The online version of this article (doi:10.1140/epjds/s13688-016-0084-2) contains supplementary material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moses C Kiti
- />KEMRI - Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Michele Tizzoni
- />Data Science Laboratory, ISI Foundation, Via Alassio 11/c, Torino, 10126 Italy
| | - Timothy M Kinyanjui
- />KEMRI - Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- />School of Mathematics, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | | | | | | | - Luca Cappa
- />Data Science Laboratory, ISI Foundation, Via Alassio 11/c, Torino, 10126 Italy
| | - André Panisson
- />Data Science Laboratory, ISI Foundation, Via Alassio 11/c, Torino, 10126 Italy
| | - Alain Barrat
- />Data Science Laboratory, ISI Foundation, Via Alassio 11/c, Torino, 10126 Italy
- />Aix-Marseille Université, Université de Toulon, CNRS, CPT, UMR 7332, Marseille, 13288 France
| | - Ciro Cattuto
- />Data Science Laboratory, ISI Foundation, Via Alassio 11/c, Torino, 10126 Italy
| | - D James Nokes
- />KEMRI - Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- />School of Life Sciences and WIDER, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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35
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Edwards CH, Tomba GS, de Blasio BF. Influenza in workplaces: transmission, workers' adherence to sick leave advice and European sick leave recommendations. Eur J Public Health 2016; 26:478-85. [PMID: 27060594 PMCID: PMC4884332 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckw031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Knowledge about influenza transmission in the workplace and whether staying home from work when experiencing influenza-like illness can reduce the spread of influenza is crucial for the design of efficient public health initiatives. Aim: This review synthesizes current literature on sickness presenteeism and influenza transmission in the workplace and provides an overview of sick leave recommendations in Europe for influenza. Methods: A search was performed on Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, Cinahl, Web of Science, Scopus and SweMed to identify studies related to workplace contacts, -transmission, -interventions and compliance with recommendations to take sick leave. A web-based survey on national recommendations and policies for sick leave during influenza was issued to 31 European countries. Results: Twenty-two articles (9 surveys; 13 modelling articles) were eligible for this review. Results from social mixing studies suggest that 20–25% of weekly contacts are made in the workplace, while modelling studies suggest that on average 16% (range 9–33%) of influenza transmission occurs in the workplace. The effectiveness of interventions to reduce workplace presenteeism is largely unknown. Finally, estimates from studies reporting expected compliance with sick leave recommendations ranged from 71 to 95%. Overall, 18 countries participated in the survey of which nine (50%) had issued recommendations encouraging sick employees to stay at home during the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic, while only one country had official recommendations for seasonal influenza. Conclusions: During the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic, many European countries recommended ill employees to take sick leave. Further research is warranted to quantify the effect of reduced presenteeism during influenza illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Hansen Edwards
- Division of Infectious Disease Control, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Nydalen, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gianpaolo Scalia Tomba
- Department of Mathematics, University of Rome Tor Vergata Via Ricerca Scientifica, Rome, Italy
| | - Birgitte Freiesleben de Blasio
- Division of Infectious Disease Control, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Nydalen, Oslo, Norway Oslo Group for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Rolls DA, Geard NL, Warr DJ, Nathan PM, Robins GL, Pattison PE, McCaw JM, McVernon J. Social encounter profiles of greater Melbourne residents, by location--a telephone survey. BMC Infect Dis 2015; 15:494. [PMID: 26525046 PMCID: PMC4631075 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-015-1237-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Models of infectious disease increasingly seek to incorporate heterogeneity of social interactions to more accurately characterise disease spread. We measured attributes of social encounters in two areas of Greater Melbourne, using a telephone survey. Methods A market research company conducted computer assisted telephone interviews (CATIs) of residents of the Boroondara and Hume local government areas (LGAs), which differ markedly in ethnic composition, age distribution and household socioeconomic status. Survey items included household demographic and socio-economic characteristics, locations visited during the preceding day, and social encounters involving two-way conversation or physical contact. Descriptive summary measures were reported and compared using weight adjusted Wald tests of group means. Results The overall response rate was 37.6 %, higher in Boroondara [n = 650, (46 %)] than Hume [n = 657 (32 %)]. Survey conduct through the CATI format was challenging, with implications for representativeness and data quality. Marked heterogeneity of encounter profiles was observed across age groups and locations. Household settings afforded greatest opportunity for prolonged close contact, particularly between women and children. Young and middle-aged men reported more age-assortative mixing, often with non-household members. Preliminary comparisons between LGAs suggested that mixing occurred in different settings. In addition, gender differences in mixing with household and non-household members, including strangers, were observed by area. Conclusions Survey administration by CATI was challenging, but rich data were obtained, revealing marked heterogeneity of social behaviour. Marked dissimilarities in patterns of prolonged close mixing were demonstrated by gender. In addition, preliminary observations of between-area differences in socialisation warrant further evaluation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-015-1237-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Rolls
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Nicholas L Geard
- Modelling and Simulation Unit, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Deborah J Warr
- McCaughey VicHealth Community Wellbeing Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Paula M Nathan
- Modelling and Simulation Unit, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Garry L Robins
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Philippa E Pattison
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - James M McCaw
- Modelling and Simulation Unit, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. .,School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. .,Modelling and Simulation Unit, Infection and Immunity Theme, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Australia.
| | - Jodie McVernon
- Modelling and Simulation Unit, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. .,Modelling and Simulation Unit, Infection and Immunity Theme, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Australia.
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37
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Luh DL, You ZS, Chen SC. Comparison of the social contact patterns among school-age children in specific seasons, locations, and times. Epidemics 2015; 14:36-44. [PMID: 26972512 DOI: 10.1016/j.epidem.2015.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Revised: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Social contact patterns among school-age children play an important role in the epidemiology of infectious disease. This study explored how people interact in specific seasons (flu season and non-flu season), environmental settings (city and county), and times (weekend and weekday). We conducted a survey of junior high school students (grades 7-8) using an established questionnaire during May-June 2013 and December 2013. The sample size with pair-wise comparisons for the times (weekday/weekend) and stratification by location and seasons were 75, 87, 105 and 106, respectively. The sample size with pair-wise comparisons for the seasons (flu/non-flu) and stratification by location were 54 and 83, respectively. Conversation and skin-to-skin contact behaviors were surveyed through diary-based questionnaires, of which 665 valid questionnaires were returned. There was no difference in the number of contacts during the flu and non-flu seasons, with averages of 16.3 (S.D.=12.9) and 14.6 (S.D.=9.5) people, respectively. However, statistical analysis showed that the average number of contacts in Taichung City and Yilan County were significantly different (p<0.001). Weekdays were associated with 23-28% more contacts than weekend days during both the non-flu and flu seasons (p<0.001) (Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Our work has important implications for the dynamic modeling of infectious diseases and performance analysis of human contact numbers and contact characteristics for schoolchildren in specific seasons, places, and times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dih-Ling Luh
- Department of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Family and Community Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40201, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Zhi-Shin You
- Department of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Szu-Chieh Chen
- Department of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Family and Community Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40201, Taiwan, ROC.
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The French Connection: The First Large Population-Based Contact Survey in France Relevant for the Spread of Infectious Diseases. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133203. [PMID: 26176549 PMCID: PMC4503306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Empirical social contact patterns are essential to understand the spread of infectious diseases. To date, no such data existed for France. Although infectious diseases are frequently seasonal, the temporal variation of contact patterns has not been documented hitherto. Methods COMES-F is the first French large-scale population survey, carried out over 3 different periods (February-March, April, April-May) with some participants common to the first and the last period. Participants described their contacts for 2 consecutive days, and reported separately on professional contacts when typically over 20 per day. Results 2033 participants reported 38 881 contacts (weighted median [first quartile-third quartile]: 8[5–14] per day), and 54 378 contacts with supplementary professional contacts (9[5–17]). Contrary to age, gender, household size, holidays, weekend and occupation, period of the year had little influence on the number of contacts or the mixing patterns. Contact patterns were highly assortative with age, irrespective of the location of the contact, and gender, with women having 8% more contacts than men. Although most contacts occurred at home and at school, the inclusion of professional contacts modified the structure of the mixing patterns. Holidays and weekends reduced dramatically the number of contacts, and as proxies for school closure, reduced R0 by 33% and 28%, respectively. Thus, school closures could have an important impact on the spread of close contact infections in France. Conclusions Despite no clear evidence for temporal variation, trends suggest that more studies are needed. Age and gender were found important determinants of the mixing patterns. Gender differences in mixing patterns might help explain gender differences in the epidemiology of infectious diseases.
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Chan TC, Yen TJ, Fu YC, Hwang JS. ClickDiary: Online Tracking of Health Behaviors and Mood. J Med Internet Res 2015; 17:e147. [PMID: 26076583 PMCID: PMC4526938 DOI: 10.2196/jmir.4315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Revised: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Traditional studies of health behaviors are typically conducted using one-shot, cross-sectional surveys. Thus, participants’ recall bias may undermine the reliability and validity of the data. To capture mood changes and health behaviors in everyday life, we designed an online survey platform, ClickDiary, which helped collect more complete information for comprehensive data analyses. Objective We aim to understand whether daily mood changes are related to one’s personal characteristics, demographic factors, and daily health behaviors. Methods The ClickDiary program uses a Web-based platform to collect data on participants’ health behaviors and their social-contact networks. The name ClickDiary comes from the platform’s interface, which is designed to allow the users to respond to most of the survey questions simply by clicking on the options provided. Participants were recruited from the general population and came from various backgrounds. To keep the participants motivated and interested, the ClickDiary program included a random drawing for rewards. We used descriptive statistics and the multilevel proportional-odds mixed model for our analysis. Results We selected 130 participants who had completed at least 30 days of ClickDiary entries from May 1 to October 31, 2014 as our sample for the study. According to the results of the multilevel proportional-odds mixed model, a person tended to be in a better mood on a given day if he or she ate more fruits and vegetables, took in more sugary drinks, ate more fried foods, showed no cold symptoms, slept better, exercised longer, and traveled farther away from home. In addition, participants were generally in a better mood during the weekend than on weekdays. Conclusions Sleeping well, eating more fruits and vegetables, and exercising longer each day all appear to put one in a better mood. With the online ClickDiary survey, which reduces the recall biases that are common in traditional one-shot surveys, we were able to collect and analyze the daily variations of each subject’s health behaviors and mood status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ta-Chien Chan
- Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei City, Taiwan
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Yu Z, Liu J, Zhu X. Inferring a district-based hierarchical structure of social contacts from census data. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118085. [PMID: 25679787 PMCID: PMC4356714 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2014] [Accepted: 01/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Researchers have recently paid attention to social contact patterns among individuals due to their useful applications in such areas as epidemic evaluation and control, public health decisions, chronic disease research and social network research. Although some studies have estimated social contact patterns from social networks and surveys, few have considered how to infer the hierarchical structure of social contacts directly from census data. In this paper, we focus on inferring an individual’s social contact patterns from detailed census data, and generate various types of social contact patterns such as hierarchical-district-structure-based, cross-district and age-district-based patterns. We evaluate newly generated contact patterns derived from detailed 2011 Hong Kong census data by incorporating them into a model and simulation of the 2009 Hong Kong H1N1 epidemic. We then compare the newly generated social contact patterns with the mixing patterns that are often used in the literature, and draw the following conclusions. First, the generation of social contact patterns based on a hierarchical district structure allows for simulations at different district levels. Second, the newly generated social contact patterns reflect individuals social contacts. Third, the newly generated social contact patterns improve the accuracy of the SEIR-based epidemic model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwen Yu
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- * E-mail: (ZY), (JL)
| | - Jiming Liu
- Department of Computing, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
- * E-mail: (ZY), (JL)
| | - Xianjun Zhu
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Comparison of contact patterns relevant for transmission of respiratory pathogens in Thailand and The Netherlands using respondent-driven sampling. PLoS One 2014; 9:e113711. [PMID: 25423343 PMCID: PMC4244136 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2014] [Accepted: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding infection dynamics of respiratory diseases requires the identification and quantification of behavioural, social and environmental factors that permit the transmission of these infections between humans. Little empirical information is available about contact patterns within real-world social networks, let alone on differences in these contact networks between populations that differ considerably on a socio-cultural level. Here we compared contact network data that were collected in The Netherlands and Thailand using a similar online respondent-driven method. By asking participants to recruit contact persons we studied network links relevant for the transmission of respiratory infections. We studied correlations between recruiter and recruited contacts to investigate mixing patterns in the observed social network components. In both countries, mixing patterns were assortative by demographic variables and random by total numbers of contacts. However, in Thailand participants reported overall more contacts which resulted in higher effective contact rates. Our findings provide new insights on numbers of contacts and mixing patterns in two different populations. These data could be used to improve parameterisation of mathematical models used to design control strategies. Although the spread of infections through populations depends on more factors, found similarities suggest that spread may be similar in The Netherlands and Thailand.
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Kiti MC, Kinyanjui TM, Koech DC, Munywoki PK, Medley GF, Nokes DJ. Quantifying age-related rates of social contact using diaries in a rural coastal population of Kenya. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104786. [PMID: 25127257 PMCID: PMC4134222 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Improved understanding and quantification of social contact patterns that govern the transmission dynamics of respiratory viral infections has utility in the design of preventative and control measures such as vaccination and social distancing. The objective of this study was to quantify an age-specific matrix of contact rates for a predominantly rural low-income population that would support transmission dynamic modeling of respiratory viruses. METHODS AND FINDINGS From the population register of the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System, coastal Kenya, 150 individuals per age group (<1, 1-5, 6-15, 16-19, 20-49, 50 and above, in years) were selected by stratified random sampling and requested to complete a day long paper diary of physical contacts (e.g. touch or embrace). The sample was stratified by residence (rural-to-semiurban), month (August 2011 to January 2012, spanning seasonal changes in socio-cultural activities), and day of week. Usable diary responses were obtained from 568 individuals (∼50% of expected). The mean number of contacts per person per day was 17.7 (95% CI 16.7-18.7). Infants reported the lowest contact rates (mean 13.9, 95% CI 12.1-15.7), while primary school students (6-15 years) reported the highest (mean 20.1, 95% CI 18.0-22.2). Rates of contact were higher within groups of similar age (assortative), particularly within the primary school students and adults (20-49 years). Adults and older participants (>50 years) exhibited the highest inter-generational contacts. Rural contact rates were higher than semiurban (18.8 vs 15.6, p = 0.002), with rural primary school students having twice as many assortative contacts as their semiurban peers. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE This is the first age-specific contact matrix to be defined for tropical Sub-Saharan Africa and has utility in age-structured models to assess the potential impact of interventions for directly transmitted respiratory infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Timothy Muiruri Kinyanjui
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Mathematics and WIDER, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - David James Nokes
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- School of Life Sciences and WIDER, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
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Social contact patterns of school-age children in Taiwan: comparison of the term time and holiday periods. Epidemiol Infect 2014; 143:1139-47. [PMID: 25078611 DOI: 10.1017/s0950268814001915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
School closure is one of the most common interventions in the early weeks of an influenza pandemic. Few studies have investigated social contact patterns and compared individual student contact characteristics during the school term and holiday periods in Taiwan. Here, we conducted a well-used questionnaire survey in a junior high school (grades 7-8) in June 2013. All 150 diary-based effective questionnaires covering conversation and skin-to-skin contact behaviour were surveyed. Two questionnaires for each participant were designed to investigate the individual-level difference of contact numbers per day during the two periods. The questionnaire response rate was 44%. The average number of contacts during term time (20·0 contacts per day) and holiday periods (12·6 contacts per day) were significantly different (P < 0·05). The dominant contact frequencies and duration were everyday contact (89·10%) and contacts lasting less than 5 minutes (37·09%). The greatest differences occurred within the 13-19 years age groups. The result presented in this study provide an indication of the likely reduction in daily contact frequency that might occur if a school closure policy was adopted in the event of an influenza pandemic in Taiwan. Comparing contact patterns during term time and holiday periods, the number of contacts decreased by 40%. This study is the first research to investigate the contact numbers and contact characteristics for school-age children during the school term and a holiday period in Taiwan. With regard to public health, this study could provide the basic contact information and database for modelling influenza epidemics for minimizing the spread of influenza that depends on personal contacts for transmission.
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Chan TC, Fu YC, Wang DW, Chuang JH. Determinants of receiving the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine and intention to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine in Taiwan. PLoS One 2014; 9:e101083. [PMID: 24971941 PMCID: PMC4074160 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The paper examines the factors associated with both receiving pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccines and individuals' intentions to get the next seasonal influenza vaccine in Taiwan. METHODS We conducted a representative nationwide survey with in-person household interviews during April-July 2010. Multivariate logistic regression incorporated socio-demographic background, household characteristics, health status, behaviors, and perceptions of influenza and vaccination. RESULTS We completed interviews with 1,954 respondents. Among those, 548 (28.0%) received the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccination, and 469 (24.0%) intended to get the next seasonal influenza vaccine. Receipt of the H1N1 vaccine was more prevalent among schoolchildren, the elderly, those who had contact with more people in their daily lives, and those who had received influenza vaccinations in previous years. In comparison, the intention to receive the next seasonal influenza vaccine tended to be stronger among children, the elderly, and those who reported less healthy status or lived with children, who received a seasonal influenza vaccination before, and who worried more about a possible new pandemic. CONCLUSIONS Children, the elderly, and those who had gotten seasonal flu shots before in Taiwan were more likely to both receive a pandemic H1N1 vaccination and intend to receive a seasonal influenza vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ta-Chien Chan
- Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Yang-chih Fu
- Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Da-Wei Wang
- Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Jen-Hsiang Chuang
- Deputy Director-General’s Office, Centers for Disease Control, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
- Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
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Read JM, Lessler J, Riley S, Wang S, Tan LJ, Kwok KO, Guan Y, Jiang CQ, Cummings DAT. Social mixing patterns in rural and urban areas of southern China. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20140268. [PMID: 24789897 PMCID: PMC4024290 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A dense population, global connectivity and frequent human-animal interaction give southern China an important role in the spread and emergence of infectious disease. However, patterns of person-to-person contact relevant to the spread of directly transmitted infections such as influenza remain poorly quantified in the region. We conducted a household-based survey of travel and contact patterns among urban and rural populations of Guangdong, China. We measured the character and distance from home of social encounters made by 1821 individuals. Most individuals reported 5-10 h of contact with around 10 individuals each day; however, both distributions have long tails. The distribution of distance from home at which contacts were made is similar: most were within a kilometre of the participant's home, while some occurred further than 500 km away. Compared with younger individuals, older individuals made fewer contacts which tended to be closer to home. There was strong assortativity in age-based contact rates. We found no difference between the total number or duration of contacts between urban and rural participants, but urban participants tended to make contacts closer to home. These results can improve mathematical models of infectious disease emergence, spread and control in southern China and throughout the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M. Read
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
- e-mail:
| | - Justin Lessler
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Steven Riley
- School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Shuying Wang
- Guangzhou No. 12 Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510620, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Jiu Tan
- Guangzhou No. 12 Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510620, People's Republic of China
| | - Kin On Kwok
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Guan
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
- International Institute of Infection and Immunity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong 515031, People's Republic of China
| | - Chao Qiang Jiang
- Guangzhou No. 12 Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510620, People's Republic of China
| | - Derek A. T. Cummings
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Changing social contact patterns under tropical weather conditions relevant for the spread of infectious diseases. Epidemiol Infect 2014; 143:440-51. [PMID: 24725605 DOI: 10.1017/s0950268814000843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Weather conditions and social contact patterns provide some clues to understanding year-round influenza epidemics in the tropics. Recent studies suggest that contact patterns may direct influenza transmission in the tropics as critically as the aerosol channel in temperate regions. To examine this argument, we analysed a representative nationwide survey dataset of contact diaries with comprehensive weather data in Taiwan. Methods we used included model-free estimated relative changes in reproduction number, R 0; relative changes in the number of contacts; and model-based estimated relative changes in mean contacts using zero-inflated negative binomial regression models. Overall, social contact patterns clearly differ by demographics (such as age groups), personal idiosyncrasies (such as personality and happiness), and social institutions (such as the division of weekdays and weekend days). Further, weather conditions also turn out to be closely linked to contact patterns under various circumstances. Fleeting contacts, for example, tend to diminish when it rains hard on weekdays, while physical contacts also decrease during weekend days with heavy rain. Frequent social contacts on weekdays and under good weather conditions, including high temperature and low absolute humidity, all might facilitate the transmission of infectious diseases in tropical regions.
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Lessler J, Metcalf CJE. Balancing evidence and uncertainty when considering rubella vaccine introduction. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67639. [PMID: 23861777 PMCID: PMC3702572 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite a safe and effective vaccine, rubella vaccination programs with inadequate coverage can raise the average age of rubella infection; thereby increasing rubella cases among pregnant women and the resulting congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in their newborns. The vaccination coverage necessary to reduce CRS depends on the birthrate in a country and the reproductive number, R0, a measure of how efficiently a disease transmits. While the birthrate within a country can be known with some accuracy, R0 varies between settings and can be difficult to measure. Here we aim to provide guidance on the safe introduction of rubella vaccine into countries in the face of substantial uncertainty in R0. METHODS We estimated the distribution of R0 in African countries based on the age distribution of rubella infection using Bayesian hierarchical models. We developed an age specific model of rubella transmission to predict the level of R0 that would result in an increase in CRS burden for specific birth rates and coverage levels. Combining these results, we summarize the safety of introducing rubella vaccine across demographic and coverage contexts. FINDINGS The median R0 of rubella in the African region is 5.2, with 90% of countries expected to have an R0 between 4.0 and 6.7. Overall, we predict that countries maintaining routine vaccination coverage of 80% or higher are can be confident in seeing a reduction in CRS over a 30 year time horizon. CONCLUSIONS Under realistic assumptions about human contact, our results suggest that even in low birth rate settings high vaccine coverage must be maintained to avoid an increase in CRS. These results lend further support to the WHO recommendation that countries reach 80% coverage for measles vaccine before introducing rubella vaccination, and highlight the importance of maintaining high levels of vaccination coverage once the vaccine is introduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Lessler
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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