HIV Transmission Network Metastudy Project: An Archive of Data From Eight Network Studies, 1988--2001

The purpose of this project was to establish a collection of datasets that could be used (1) to analyze the influence of partnership networks on the transmission of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, and (2) to examine the influence of study design on estimation of network properties and impacts. Eight studies contributed datasets to the collection.They include:Colorado Springs Project 90, 1988-1992Bushwick [Brooklyn, NY] Social Factors and HIV Risk (SFHR) Study, 1991-1993Atlanta Urban Networks Project, 1996-1999Flagstaff Rural Network Study, 1996-1998Atlanta Antiretroviral Adherence Study, 1998-2001Houston Risk Networks Study, 1997-1998Baltimore SHIELD (Self-Help in Eliminating Life-Threatening Diseases), 1997-1999Manitoba Chlamydia Study, 1997-1998Each study contains information on sexual, needle sharing, and/or social networks. Each dataset was harmonized to permit comparative analysis. Almost all of the studies were research projects funded by federal agency sources (e.g., United States Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health); one was funded by Canadian sources. These studies, all closed for further enrollment, provide a range of designs and study types as well as a range of transmitted diseases. This allows researchers to investigate the relative effect of personal behavior and network connections on the dynamics of disease transmission, and to explore the impact of sampling design on estimation of network properties. Respondents were asked questions about different test results such as HIV, chlamydia, syphilis and hepatitis. Demographic variables include race, ethnicity, marital status, age, and gender.