Gsteiger, S;
Low, N;
Sonnenberg, P;
Mercer, CH;
Althaus, CL;
(2020)
Gini coefficients for measuring the distribution of sexually transmitted infections among individuals with different levels of sexual activity.
PeerJ
, 8
(e8434)
10.7717/peerj.8434.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Gini coefficients have been used to describe the distribution of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections among individuals with different levels of sexual activity. The objectives of this study were to investigate Gini coefficients for different sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and to determine how STI control interventions might affect the Gini coefficient over time. METHODS: We used population-based data for sexually experienced women from two British National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-2: 1999–2001; Natsal-3: 2010–2012) to calculate Gini coefficients for CT, Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), and human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16 and 18. We applied bootstrap methods to assess uncertainty and to compare Gini coefficients for different STIs. We then used a mathematical model of STI transmission to study how control interventions affect Gini coefficients. RESULTS: Gini coefficients for CT and MG were 0.33 (95% CI [0.18–0.49]) and 0.16 (95% CI [0.02–0.36]), respectively. The relatively small coefficient for MG suggests a longer infectious duration compared with CT. The coefficients for HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 ranged from 0.15 to 0.38. During the decade between Natsal-2 and Natsal-3, the Gini coefficient for CT did not change. The transmission model shows that higher STI treatment rates are expected to reduce prevalence and increase the Gini coefficient of STIs. In contrast, increased condom use reduces STI prevalence but does not affect the Gini coefficient. CONCLUSIONS: Gini coefficients for STIs can help us to understand the distribution of STIs in the population, according to level of sexual activity, and could be used to inform STI prevention and treatment strategies.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Gini coefficients for measuring the distribution of sexually transmitted infections among individuals with different levels of sexual activity |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.7717/peerj.8434 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8434 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2020 Gsteiger et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited. |
| Keywords: | Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, HPV, Sexual behavior, Mathematical model, Transmission model, Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health > Infection and Population Health |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10090536 |
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