Social Contacts and Mixing Patterns Relevant to the Spread of Infectious Diseases

Dados Bibliográficos

ID23368773
AutoresJoël Mossong (0000-0003-0717-9835, Laboratoire National de Santé, autor correspondente), Niel Hens (0000-0003-1881-0637, Hasselt University), Mark Jit (0000-0001-6658-8255, Public Health England), Philippe Beutels (0000-0001-5034-3595, University of Antwerp), Kari Auranen (0000-0002-8162-2260, Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland), Rafael Mikolajczyk (0000-0003-1271-7204, Bielefeld University), Marco Massari (0000-0001-8442-4238, Istituto Superiore di Sanità), Stefania Salmaso (Istituto Superiore di Sanità), Gianpaolo Scalia Tomba (0000-0001-6581-8661, University of Rome Tor Vergata), Jacco Wallinga (0000-0003-1725-5627, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), Janneke C M Heijne (0009-0001-5005-9452, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), Janneke Heijne, Małgorzata Sadkowska-Todys (Narodowy Instytut Zdrowia Publicznego PZH – Państwowy Instytut Badawczy), Magdalena Rosińska (0000-0002-6256-7809, Narodowy Instytut Zdrowia Publicznego PZH – Państwowy Instytut Badawczy), W John Edmunds (0000-0002-9179-2917, Public Health England)
EditoresSteven Riley (0000-0001-7904-4804)
Ano2008
Volume5
Fascículo3
Páginase74
Data de publicação2008-03-25
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPLoS Medicine (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1549-1277 • E-ISSN: 1549-1676
EditoraPublic Library of Science (PLoS) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1371/journal.pmed.0050074
PMID18366252
PMCIDPMC2270306
OpenAlexW2159301256
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas145
Referências citadas27

BACKGROUND: Mathematical modelling of infectious diseases transmitted by the respiratory or close-contact route (e.g., pandemic influenza) is increasingly being used to determine the impact of possible interventions. Although mixing patterns are known to be crucial determinants for model outcome, researchers often rely on a priori contact assumptions with little or no empirical basis. We conducted a population-based prospective survey of mixing patterns in eight European countries using a common paper-diary methodology. METHODS AND FINDINGS: 7,290 participants recorded characteristics of 97,904 contacts with different individuals during one day, including age, sex, location, duration, frequency, and occurrence of physical contact. We found that mixing patterns and contact characteristics were remarkably similar across different European countries. Contact patterns were highly assortative with age: schoolchildren and young adults in particular tended to mix with people of the same age. Contacts lasting at least one hour or occurring on a daily basis mostly involved physical contact, while short duration and infrequent contacts tended to be nonphysical. Contacts at home, school, or leisure were more likely to be physical than contacts at the workplace or while travelling. Preliminary modelling indicates that 5- to 19-year-olds are expected to suffer the highest incidence during the initial epidemic phase of an emerging infection transmitted through social contacts measured here when the population is completely susceptible. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, our study provides the first large-scale quantitative approach to contact patterns relevant for infections transmitted by the respiratory or close-contact route, and the results should lead to improved parameterisation of mathematical models used to design control strategies.

Contact tracing · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Environmental health · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Mixing (physics) · Mixing patterns · Pandemic · Population · Psychological intervention · Social contact · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · Demography · Infection Control and Ventilation · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Zoonotic diseases and public health