title: What do epidemiologists mean by 'population mixing'?
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Unit, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: Graham R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Feltbower
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Roger C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Parslow
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gilthorpe
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: McKinney
mesh_terms: D019352:Censuses; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004813:Epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011156:Population Density; D012307:Risk Factors