The parallel epidemics of HIV, STDs and blood-borne infections (BBIs) associated with drug use and sexual activity continue to raise major scientific and public policy issues. Recent social science and epidemiologic research on HIV transmission among drug users and others has begun to shift attention from individual behavior to the pattern of connections among individuals. The fundamental network hypothesis states that risk for disease propagation is not fully accounted for by personal behavior, but is independently influenced by social network structure. Developmental work in this field suggests that public policy for the control of STDs and BBIs can be guided by mathematical models that simulate transmission networks, and that such models are most likely to be useful when they are grounded in empirical data. We propose to assemble a number of data sets previously funded by NIDA and other agencies (see section D. 1) that focus on infectious diseases that spread via well-defined contact networks, such as HIV, HBV, and HCV in networks of injecting drug users or STDs and HIV in sexual networks. These will provide the empirical base for integrating networks into traditional epidemiologic analysis (aim 1.0), developing statistical methods for modeling and simulating networks (aim 2.0), and analyzing the network effects on disease transmission dynamics (aim 3.0). Specifically, we propose to: (1) Perform epidemiological analysis of existing network data sets to characterize the association of social network structure with the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and blood borne diseases (BBIs). We will incorporate network measures in traditional epidemiologic analyses of these data; analyze the relationship of network measures to basic epidemiologic measures such as the basic reproduction ratio; and develop a public use repository for the data. (2) Develop statistical methods for estimating population level network parameters from network survey data, and simulating dynamically evolving networks with similar properties. Both the estimation and simulation methods will be based on a common Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm, which will enable researchers for the first time to simulate networks that have the same statistical properties as those observed in real data. (3) Use these methods to examine the impact of networks on transmission of STDs and BBIs. In particular, we will examine the independent and joint effects of needle sharing and sexual transmission via their respective networks. The results of this project will help to provide a systematic empirical basis for identifying how networks determine the risk of exposure at the individual level, and how they influence the population dynamics of disease transmission. This will support prevention efforts at both levels. It will provide the scientific basis for individual-level prevention strategies that focus on partnership interventions. It will enable public health professionals to identify population-level prevention strategies that make a network less vulnerable to spread. And it will identify the type of network data needed to inform such efforts.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA012831-06
Application #
6909825
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-AARR-7 (01))
Program Officer
Hartsock, Peter
Project Start
2001-06-01
Project End
2007-05-31
Budget Start
2005-06-01
Budget End
2007-05-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$423,302
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Washington
Department
Miscellaneous
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
605799469
City
Seattle
State
WA
Country
United States
Zip Code
98195
Smith, Jeffrey A; Moody, James; Morgan, Jonathan (2017) Network sampling coverage II: The effect of non-random missing data on network measurement. Soc Networks 48:78-99
Hamilton, Deven T; Morris, Martina (2015) The racial disparities in STI in the U.S.: Concurrency, STI prevalence, and heterogeneity in partner selection. Epidemics 11:56-61
Krivitsky, Pavel N; Handcock, Mark S (2014) A Separable Model for Dynamic Networks. J R Stat Soc Series B Stat Methodol 76:29-46
Adams, Jimi; Moody, James; Morris, Martina (2013) Sex, drugs, and race: how behaviors differentially contribute to the sexually transmitted infection risk network structure. Am J Public Health 103:322-9
Hunter, David R; Goodreau, Steven M; Handcock, Mark S (2013) ergm.userterms: A Template Package for Extending statnet. J Stat Softw 52:i02
Smith, Jeffrey A; Moody, James (2013) Structural Effects of Network Sampling Coverage I: Nodes Missing at Random(1.) Soc Networks 35:
Adams, Jimi; Moody, James; Muth, Stephen Q et al. (2012) Quantifying the Benefits of Link-Tracing Designs for Partnership Network Studies. Field methods 24:175-193
Goodreau, Steven M; Cassels, Susan; Kasprzyk, Danuta et al. (2012) Concurrent partnerships, acute infection and HIV epidemic dynamics among young adults in Zimbabwe. AIDS Behav 16:312-22
Carnegie, Nicole Bohme; Morris, Martina (2012) Size matters: concurrency and the epidemic potential of HIV in small networks. PLoS One 7:e43048
Krivitsky, Pavel N; Handcock, Mark S; Morris, Martina (2011) Adjusting for Network Size and Composition Effects in Exponential-Family Random Graph Models. Stat Methodol 8:319-339

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