» Articles » PMID: 25694223

Assessing the Geographic Coverage and Spatial Clustering of Illicit Drug Users Recruited Through Respondent-driven Sampling in New York City

Overview
Journal J Urban Health
Publisher Springer
Specialty General Medicine
Date 2015 Feb 20
PMID 25694223
Citations 4
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

We assess the geographic coverage and spatial clustering of drug users recruited through respondent-driven sampling (RDS) and discuss the potential for biased RDS prevalence estimates. Illicit drug users aged 18-40 were recruited through RDS (N = 401) and targeted street outreach (TSO) (N = 210) in New York City. Using the Google Maps API™, we calculated travel distances and times using public transportation between each participant's recruitment location and the study office and between RDS recruiter-recruit pairs. We used K function analysis to evaluate and compare spatial clustering of (1) RDS vs. TSO respondents and (2) RDS seeds vs. RDS peer recruits. All participant recruitment locations clustered around the study office; however, RDS participants were significantly more likely to be recruited within walking distance of the study office than TSO participants. The TSO sample was also less spatially clustered than the RDS sample, which likely reflects (1) the van's ability to increase the sample's geographic heterogeneity and (2) that more TSO than RDS participants were enrolled on the van. Among RDS participants, individuals recruited spatially proximal peers, geographic coverage did not increase as recruitment waves progressed, and peer recruits were not less spatially clustered than seeds. Using a mobile van to recruit participants had a greater impact on the geographic coverage and spatial dependence of the TSO than the RDS sample. Future studies should consider and evaluate the impact of the recruitment approach on the geographic/spatial representativeness of the sample and how spatial biases, including the preferential recruitment of proximal peers, could impact the precision and accuracy of estimates.

Citing Articles

An application of agent-based modeling to explore the impact of decreasing incarceration rates and increasing drug treatment access on sero-discordant partnerships among people who inject drugs.

Linton S, Des Jarlais D, Ornstein J, Kasman M, Hammond R, Kianian B Int J Drug Policy. 2021; 94:103194.

PMID: 33812133 PMC: 8608566. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103194.


Hepatitis C bio-behavioural surveys in people who inject drugs-a systematic review of sensitivity to the theoretical assumptions of respondent driven sampling.

Buchanan R, Khakoo S, Coad J, Grellier L, Parkes J Harm Reduct J. 2017; 14(1):44.

PMID: 28697760 PMC: 5505015. DOI: 10.1186/s12954-017-0172-z.


Overlooked Threats to Respondent Driven Sampling Estimators: Peer Recruitment Reality, Degree Measures, and Random Selection Assumption.

Li J, Valente T, Shin H, Weeks M, Zelenev A, Moothi G AIDS Behav. 2017; 22(7):2340-2359.

PMID: 28660381 PMC: 5745307. DOI: 10.1007/s10461-017-1827-1.


Drug use Discrimination Predicts Formation of High-Risk Social Networks: Examining Social Pathways of Discrimination.

Crawford N, Ford C, Rudolph A, Kim B, Lewis C AIDS Behav. 2016; 21(9):2659-2669.

PMID: 28025736 PMC: 6679928. DOI: 10.1007/s10461-016-1639-8.

References
1.
Broadhead R, Heckathorn D, Weakliem D, Anthony D, Madray H, Mills R . Harnessing peer networks as an instrument for AIDS prevention: results from a peer-driven intervention. Public Health Rep. 1998; 113 Suppl 1:42-57. PMC: 1307726. View

2.
Toledo L, Codeco C, Bertoni N, Albuquerque E, Malta M, Bastos F . Putting respondent-driven sampling on the map: insights from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2011; 57 Suppl 3:S136-43. DOI: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e31821e9981. View

3.
Jenness S, Neaigus A, Wendel T, Gelpi-Acosta C, Hagan H . Spatial recruitment bias in respondent-driven sampling: Implications for HIV prevalence estimation in urban heterosexuals. AIDS Behav. 2013; 18(12):2366-73. PMC: 8284852. DOI: 10.1007/s10461-013-0640-8. View

4.
Wang J, Carlson R, Falck R, Siegal H, Rahman A, Li L . Respondent-driven sampling to recruit MDMA users: a methodological assessment. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2005; 78(2):147-57. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2004.10.011. View

5.
Rudolph A, Crawford N, Latkin C, Heimer R, Benjamin E, Jones K . Subpopulations of illicit drug users reached by targeted street outreach and respondent-driven sampling strategies: implications for research and public health practice. Ann Epidemiol. 2011; 21(4):280-9. PMC: 3062521. DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.11.007. View