Dataset Information

Quantifying age-related rates of social contact using diaries in a rural coastal population of Kenya.

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.

SUBMITTER: Kiti MC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4134222 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Quantifying age-related rates of social contact using diaries in a rural coastal population of Kenya.

Kiti Moses Chapa MC Kinyanjui Timothy Muiruri TM Koech Dorothy Chelagat DC Munywoki Patrick Kiio PK Medley Graham Francis GF Nokes David James DJ

PloS one 20140815 8

<h4>Background</h4>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.<h4>Methods and findings</h4>Fro ...[more]

PMID: 25127257

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Project description: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 materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1140/epjds/s13688-016-0084-2) contains supplementary material.

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Dataset Information

Quantifying age-related rates of social contact using diaries in a rural coastal population of Kenya.

Background

Methods and findings

Conclusions and significance

Publications

Quantifying age-related rates of social contact using diaries in a rural coastal population of Kenya.

Similar Datasets

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