Association between tuberculosis in men and social network structure in Kampala, Uganda
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC infectious diseases
Abstract
Globally, tuberculosis disease (TB) is more common among males than females. Recent research
proposes that differences in social mixing by sex could alter infection patterns in TB. We examine evidence for two
mechanisms by which social-mixing could increase men’s contact rates with TB cases. First, men could be positioned
in social networks such that they contact more people or social groups. Second, preferential mixing by sex could
prime men to have more exposure to TB cases.
Methods: We compared the networks of male and female TB cases and healthy matched controls living in Kampala,
Uganda. Specifically, we estimated their positions in social networks (network distance to TB cases, degree, betweenness,
and closeness) and assortativity patterns (mixing with adult men, women, and children inside and outside the
household).
Results: The observed network consisted of 11,840 individuals. There were few differences in estimates of node position
by sex. We found distinct mixing patterns by sex and TB disease status including that TB cases have proportionally
more adult male contacts and fewer contacts with children.
Conclusions: This analysis used a network approach to study how social mixing patterns are associated with TB
disease. Understanding these mechanisms may have implications for designing targeted intervention strategies in
high-burden populations.
Description
Keywords
Tuberculosis, Social network, Male-bias, Contact patterns
Citation
Miller, P. B., Zalwango, S., Galiwango, R., Kakaire, R., Sekandi, J., Steinbaum, L., ... & Kiwanuka, N. (2021). Association between tuberculosis in men and social network structure in Kampala, Uganda. BMC infectious diseases, 21(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-06475-z