TY - JOUR
T1 - The Available Pool of Sex Partners and Risk for a Current Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infection
AU - Jennings, Jacky M.
AU - Taylor, Ralph
AU - Iannacchione, Vince G.
AU - Rogers, Susan M.
AU - Chung, Shang En
AU - Huettner, Steven
AU - Ellen, Jonathan M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the following funding agencies: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (grant number R01 AI49530 ), National Institute of Drug Abuse (grant number K01 DA022298-01A1 ) with supplemental funding from the National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism .
PY - 2010/7
Y1 - 2010/7
N2 - Purpose: Sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission models propose that incident STIs are related to exposure to infected sex partners. The objective of this study was to determine whether the prevalence of STIs among the available pool of sex partners in a neighborhood, measured indirectly, is an independent determinant of a current incident STI. Methods: The target population comprised 58,299 English-speaking, sexually active 15- to 24-year-olds in 486 census block groups (CBGs) in Baltimore, MD. A sample of 65 CBGs was selected using a stratified, systematic, probability-proportional-to-size strategy and 13,873 households were randomly selected. From 2004 through 2007, research assistants administered an audio computer-assisted interview survey and collected biologic samples for gonorrhea and chlamydia testing. Results: The final sample size included 575 participants from 63 CBGs. Additional data provided gonorrhea prevalence from 2004 through 2005 per 15- to 49-year-old persons per 100,000 per CBG. After adjustment for individual-level STI risk factors in a multilevel probability model, adolescents and young adults living in high (vs. low) prevalence STI areas were 4.73 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.65-6.15) more likely to have a current incident STI. Conclusions: To inform prevention programs, future research should focus on identifying mechanisms through which context causes changes in local sexual networks and their STI prevalence.
AB - Purpose: Sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission models propose that incident STIs are related to exposure to infected sex partners. The objective of this study was to determine whether the prevalence of STIs among the available pool of sex partners in a neighborhood, measured indirectly, is an independent determinant of a current incident STI. Methods: The target population comprised 58,299 English-speaking, sexually active 15- to 24-year-olds in 486 census block groups (CBGs) in Baltimore, MD. A sample of 65 CBGs was selected using a stratified, systematic, probability-proportional-to-size strategy and 13,873 households were randomly selected. From 2004 through 2007, research assistants administered an audio computer-assisted interview survey and collected biologic samples for gonorrhea and chlamydia testing. Results: The final sample size included 575 participants from 63 CBGs. Additional data provided gonorrhea prevalence from 2004 through 2005 per 15- to 49-year-old persons per 100,000 per CBG. After adjustment for individual-level STI risk factors in a multilevel probability model, adolescents and young adults living in high (vs. low) prevalence STI areas were 4.73 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.65-6.15) more likely to have a current incident STI. Conclusions: To inform prevention programs, future research should focus on identifying mechanisms through which context causes changes in local sexual networks and their STI prevalence.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Gonorrhea
KW - Residence Characteristics
KW - Sexually Transmitted Diseases
KW - Urban Health
KW - Urban Population
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U2 - 10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.03.016
DO - 10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.03.016
M3 - Article
C2 - 20538196
AN - SCOPUS:77953599590
SN - 1047-2797
VL - 20
SP - 532
EP - 538
JO - Annals of epidemiology
JF - Annals of epidemiology
IS - 7
ER -