What do epidemiologists mean by 'population mixing'?
There is growing evidence that some chronic diseases are caused, or promoted, by infectious disease. 'Population mixing' has been used as a proxy for the range and dose of infectious agents circulating in a community. Given the speculation over the role of population mixing in many chronic diseases, we review the various methods used for measuring population mixing, and provide a classification of these. We recommend that authors fulfill two criteria in publications: measures are demonstrably associated with the putative risk factors for which population-mixing is acting as a proxy and fundamental characteristics of the chosen measures are clearly defined.
Law
Graham R
GR
Biostatistics Unit, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Feltbower
Richard G
RG
Taylor
John C
JC
Parslow
Roger C
RC
Gilthorpe
Mark S
MS
Boyle
Paul
P
McKinney
Patricia A
PA
D019352:Censuses; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004813:Epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011156:Population Density; D012307:Risk Factors