Ac. Ghani et Gp. Garnett, Risks of acquiring and transmitting sexually transmitted diseases in sexual partner networks, SEX TRA DIS, 27(10), 2000, pp. 579-587
Background: A person's risk for acquiring infection and their role in conti
nued transmission has traditionally been assessed on the basis of individua
l characteristics. Recently, network studies have attempted to relate indiv
idual risks to position in the wider network.
Goal: To assess the importance of local and global network structures in as
sessing the risk of acquiring and transmitting infection.
Study Design: An individual-based simulation model was used to construct a
variety of potential network structures and track the transmission of infec
tion over time. Logistic and Poisson regression were used to identify which
measures of network position influence a person's risk for acquiring and t
ransmitting infection,
Results: Measures of local centrality were more important to risk of acquis
ition, whereas global centrality mattered more to transmission. Continuous
snowball sampling, rather than a fixed number of waves, better estimates a
person's risks.
Conclusions: There is an asymmetry regarding the risk of acquiring and tran
smitting infection.