Modeling HIV Diffusion through Drug Using Networks

模拟艾滋病毒通过吸毒网络的传播

• 批准号: 7070548
• 负责人: WILLIAM A ZULE
• 金额: $ 66.42万
• 依托单位: RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-09-30 至 2008-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7070548
• 关键词: behavior test; behavioral /social science research tag; clinical research; communicable disease transmission; cooperative study; disease /disorder prevention /control; disease /disorder proneness /risk; drug abuse; ethnic group; high risk behavior /lifestyle; human immunodeficiency virus; human subject; interview; intravenous drug abuse; longitudinal human study; mathematical model; model design /development; sex behavior; sexually transmitted diseases; social behavior; social group; social support network; socioenvironment; substance abuse epidemiology

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Sexual transmission of HIV is increasing in the South among women, minorities, and men who have sex with men. Moreover, in several recent studies, HIV incidence among injecting drug users was associated more with sexual risk behaviors than injecting risk behaviors. The increasing incidence of HIV associated with sexual transmission may reflect the success of interventions in reducing injecting risk, and the fact that sexual risk reduction is often influenced by social, gender, and cultural norms in addition to individual motivation. Furthermore, patterns of drug use have shifted in the South, with high rates of crack use among minorities and within rural areas. The proposed 5-year multimethod longitudinal study will identify factors associated with the sexual diffusion of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) within drug-using groups and from drug users to non-drug users in rural and urban settings in North Carolina. The approach will combine ethnographic observations, individual behavioral interviews, social network analysis, biological testing, and structural environmental assessments. These data will provide inputs for developing conceptual and mathematical models of HIV epidemics among drug users in rural and urban settings. Such models can aid in intervention development by helping to determine which modifiable behavioral and structural factors would have the greatest impact on reducing HIV and STI transmission. The proposed team will work collaboratively with the State HIV/AIDS office and the University of North Carolina (UNC) Center on AIDS Research Virology Core for virological testing to identify recent HIV infections. The specific aims of the study are as follows: 1. To assess the effects of environmental (e.g., neighborhood characteristics, rural-urban setting, and syringe access), social network (e.g., density, size, and stability), and personal (e.g., age, race, and gender) characteristics on individual risk behavior, prevalence, and incidence of HIV and STIs. 2. To identify and describe differences in social network characteristics associated with urban-rural settings, social structure, risk behaviors, geographic location, and environmental conditions and to link these differences to the spread of HIV and STIs within and between networks. 3. To develop a conceptual model of HIV and STI transmission within, between, and outside the networks. This model will be based on the findings in Aims 1 and 2 and include biological, personal, network, and environmental components and their interaction with risk behavior. 4. To develop a mathematical model that will operationalize the conceptual model in Aim 3. This model will synthesize findings from Aims 1 through 3 in order to estimate (through simulation) the impact of intervening at different levels (biological, individual, network, and environment) and at specific points within levels.

描述（由申请人提供）： 在南方，艾滋病毒的性传播在女性、少数民族和男男性行为者中不断增加。此外，在最近的几项研究中，注射吸毒者中的艾滋病毒发病率与性危险行为的相关性高于与注射危险行为的相关性。与性传播相关的艾滋病毒发病率不断上升可能反映了降低注射风险干预措施的成功，以及除个人动机外，性风险降低往往还受到社会、性别和文化规范影响的事实。此外，南方的毒品使用模式也发生了变化，少数族裔和农村地区吸毒率很高。拟议的为期 5 年的多方法纵向研究将确定北卡罗来纳州农村和城市吸毒群体中艾滋病毒和其他性传播感染 (STI) 以及从吸毒者到非吸毒者的性传播相关的因素。该方法将结合民族志观察、个人行为访谈、社交网络分析、生物测试和结构环境评估。这些数据将为开发农村和城市吸毒者中艾滋病毒流行的概念和数学模型提供投入。此类模型可以帮助确定哪些可改变的行为和结构因素对减少艾滋病毒和性传播感染的影响最大，从而有助于干预措施的制定。拟议的团队将与州艾滋病毒/艾滋病办公室和北卡罗来纳大学（UNC）艾滋病研究病毒学核心中心合作进行病毒学检测，以确定最近的艾滋病毒感染情况。研究的具体目的如下： 1. 评估环境（例如，社区特征、城乡环境和注射器使用）、社交网络（例如，密度、规模和稳定性）和个人（例如，年龄、种族和性别）关于个人危险行为、艾滋病毒和性传播感染的患病率和发病率的特征。 2. 识别和描述与城乡环境、社会结构、风险行为、地理位置和环境条件相关的社会网络特征的差异，并将这些差异与网络内和网络间艾滋病毒和性传播感染的传播联系起来。 3. 开发网络内部、网络之间和外部艾滋病毒和性传播感染传播的概念模型。该模型将基于目标 1 和 2 的研究结果，包括生物、个人、网络和环境成分及其与风险行为的相互作用。 4. 开发一个数学模型，用于实施目标 3 中的概念模型。该模型将综合目标 1 至 3 的发现，以估计（通过模拟）不同级别（生物、个人、网络和社会）干预的影响。环境）以及级别内的特定点。