Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36919979›Full record

ArticleJournal of the International AIDS Society2023

Application of the network scale-up method to estimate the sizes of key populations for HIV in Singapore using online surveys.

Sharon Esi Duoduwa Quaye, Yuwei Cheng, Rayner Kay Jin Tan, Joel R Koo, Kiesha Prem, Alvin Kuo Jing Teo, Alex R Cook

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Article in Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Sharon Esi Duoduwa QuayeSaw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore.ORCID 0000-0003-4094-4463
Yuwei ChengDepartment of Statistics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Rayner Kay Jin TanSaw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore.
Joel R KooSaw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore.
Kiesha PremSaw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore.
Alvin Kuo Jing TeoSaw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore.
Alex R CookSaw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSingapore lacks robust data on the sizes of the key populations that are most at risk for HIV. Using the network scale-up method for hidden or hard-to-reach populations, we estimate the sizes of five key populations-male clients of female sex workers (MCFSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), people who inject drugs (PWID) and transgender people-and profile the ages and ethnicities of respondents with the high-risk contacts they report knowing.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional online survey between March and May 2019 (n = 2802) using a network scale-up instrument previously developed for Singapore. Participants were recruited using an existing panel and online advertising, and the sample reweighted by age, sex, ethnicity and education attained to represent the general adult population. We built a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the sizes of the five key populations for HIV in Singapore.

resultsAfter adjustment, the sizes of the at-risk populations are estimated to be: 76,800 (95% credible interval [CI]: 64,200-91,800) MCFSW; 139,000 (95% CI: 120,000-160,000) MSM; 8030 (95% CI: 3980-16,200) FSW; 3470 (95% CI: 1540-7830) PWID and 18,000 (95% CI: 14,000-23,200) transgender people. Generally, men reported knowing more people in all the high-risk groups; older people reported knowing more MCFSW, FSW and transgender people; and younger people reported knowing more MSM. There was a bimodal effect of age on those who reported knowing more PWIDs: people in their 20s and 60s reported more contacts.

conclusionsThis study demonstrates that a size estimation study of hidden populations is quickly and efficiently scalable through using online surveys in a socially conservative society, like Singapore, where key populations are stigmatized or criminalized. The approach may be suitable in other countries where stigma is prevalent and where barriers to surveillance and data collection are numerous.

Indexed as

HIV InfectionsSexual and Gender MinoritiesSex WorkersSubstance Abuse, IntravenousAdultAgedBayes TheoremCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHomosexuality, MaleHumansMaleSingaporeSurveys and Questionnaireskey and vulnerable populationsmen who have sex with menmodellingsex workersstigmatransgender people

Identifiers

PMID36919979
PMCPMC10015632

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.