Integration of Spatial and Social Network Analysis in Vaccine Trials

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。1985年，在孟加拉国的Matlab进行了一项以社区为基础的个体随机口服霍乱疫苗试验。 现有的方法来衡量这种疫苗试验对疾病传播的有效性并不可靠。 需要新的空间分析和社会网络分析方法，以更好地了解疫苗试验和疾病传播的影响。 该项目建立在早期工作的基础上，这些工作开发了将社区水平变量纳入“生态疫苗试验”的理论和方法。位于查佩尔山的北卡罗来纳州大学的Michael Emch博士将重新分析先前研究的霍乱疫苗试验数据，使用社会网络分析软件开发的社会和环境连接的新措施，地理信息系统（GIS）和卫星遥感技术。这些新措施将有助于确定：（1）安慰剂发病率和保护效力（PE）如何在社交网络内变化;（2）安慰剂发病率和PE如何在不同环境背景下空间变化;（3）如何同时使用空间，环境和社会网络信息来评估疫苗的有效性和疾病风险。本研究将使用研究者已经收集的4个数据集。 这些数据集包括：（1）一个大型霍乱疫苗试验数据库，（2）一个全面的纵向人口统计数据库，从中选择疫苗试验参与者，（3）一个精确的家庭级GIS数据库，（4）高分辨率Quickbird卫星图像。将使用一个完整的网络设计来衡量所有家庭之间的亲属关系，并使用卫星图像和地理信息系统技术来衡量环境连通性。这些地理信息系统和卫星数据库，结合人口统计，社会网络和疫苗数据集，将有助于增加综合的空间，环境和社会组成部分，这项疫苗评价研究。使用空间分析框架以及社会和环境连通性措施重新分析Matlab口服霍乱疫苗试验，可以为疫苗有效性评估和疾病传播建模提供新的见解。因此，在这个项目中解决的理论和方法学问题将有重要的影响，为未来的疫苗trials.This研究将重新分析现有的霍乱疫苗试验数据库使用新的措施，社会和环境的连接与社会网络分析软件，地理信息系统（GIS），卫星遥感技术。这些方法将有助于确定：（1）安慰剂的发生率和有效性如何在社交网络内变化;（2）安慰剂的发生率和有效性如何在不同的环境背景下在空间上变化;（3）如何同时使用空间、环境和社会网络信息来评估疫苗的有效性。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).In 1985, a community-based individually-randomized oral cholera vaccine trial was conducted in Matlab, Bangladesh. Existing methods for measuring the effectiveness of this vaccine trial to the transmission of the disease are not robust. New methods for spatial analysis and social network analysis are needed to better understand the impact of vaccine trials and disease transmission. This project builds on earlier work that developed theory and methods for incorporating neighborhood-level variables into "ecological vaccine trials". Dr. Michael Emch at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will reanalyze the cholera vaccine trial data from the previous study using new measures of social and environmental connectivity developed with social network analysis software, a geographic information system (GIS), and satellite remote sensing technologies. These new measures will help determine: (1) how placebo incidence and protective efficacy (PE) vary within social networks; (2) how placebo incidence and PE vary spatially by different environmental contexts; and (3) how spatial, environmental, and social network information can be used simultaneously to assess the effectiveness of vaccines and disease risk. Four data sets, already collected by the investigators, will be used for in this study. These datasets include: (1) a large cholera vaccine trial database, (2) a comprehensive longitudinal demographic database from which the vaccine trial participants were selected, (3) an accurate household-level GIS database, and (4) high resolution Quickbird satellite imagery. Kinship ties between all households will be measured using a complete network design as well as environmental connectivity using satellite imagery and GIS techniques. These GIS and satellite databases, in conjunction with the demographic, social network, and vaccine datasets, will facilitate adding integrated spatial, environmental, and social components to this vaccine evaluation study. Reanalyzing the Matlab oral cholera vaccine trial using a spatial analytical framework and social and environmental connectivity measures can give new insight into vaccine effectiveness evaluation and disease transmission modeling. As a result, the theoretical and methodological issues addressed in this project will have important implications for future vaccine trials.This study will reanalyze an existing cholera vaccine trial database using new measures of social and environmental connectivity developed with social network analysis software, a geographic information system (GIS), and satellite remote sensing technologies. These methods will help determine: (1) how placebo incidence and efficacy vary within social networks; (2) how placebo incidence and efficacy vary spatially by different environmental contexts; and (3) how spatial, environmental, and social network information can be used simultaneously to assess the effectiveness of vaccines.