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Determinants and consequences of sexual networks as they affect
the spread of sexually transmitted infections.
Journal of Infectious Diseases 2005;191(Suppl 1):S42–54.
Doherty IA, Padian NS, Marlow C, Aral SO.
Abstract
Because pathogens spread only within the unique context of a sexual union between
people when one person is infectious, the other is susceptible to new infection,
and condoms are not used to prevent transmission, the epidemiological study
of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is particularly challenging. Social
network analysis entails the study of ties among people and how the structure
and quality of such ties affect individuals and overall group dynamics. Although
ascertaining complete sexual networks is difficult, application of this approach
has provided unique insights into the spread of STIs that traditional individual-based
epidemiological methods do not capture. This article provides a brief background
on the design and assessments of studies of social networks, to illustrate
how these methods have been applied to understanding the distribution of
STIs, to inform the development of interventions for STI control.