Close encounters of the infectious kind: methods to measure social mixing behaviour

A central tenet of close-contact or respiratory infection epidemiology is that infection patterns within human populations are related to underlying patterns of social interaction. Until recently, few researchers had attempted to quantify potentially infectious encounters made between people. Now, h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epidemiology and infection 2012-12, Vol.140 (12), p.2117-2130
Main Authors: READ, J. M, EDMUNDS, W. J, RILEY, S, LESSLER, J, CUMMINGS, D. A. T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Contact Tracing
Epidemiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human populations
Humans
Infections
Mathematical Concepts
Methods and Modelling
Microbiology
Pathogens
Radio Frequency Identification Device
Respiratory Tract Infections - epidemiology
Respiratory Tract Infections - transmission
Review
Social Behavior
Social interaction
Social Participation
Tuberculosis
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Summary:A central tenet of close-contact or respiratory infection epidemiology is that infection patterns within human populations are related to underlying patterns of social interaction. Until recently, few researchers had attempted to quantify potentially infectious encounters made between people. Now, however, several studies have quantified social mixing behaviour, using a variety of methods. Here, we review the methodologies employed, suggest other appropriate methods and technologies, and outline future research challenges for this rapidly advancing field of research.
ISSN:0950-2688
1469-4409
DOI:10.1017/S0950268812000842