A systematic review of social contact surveys to inform transmission models of close contact infections

Abstract

Background: Social contact data are increasingly being used to inform models for infectious disease spread with the aim of guiding effective policies on disease prevention and control. In this paper, we undertake a systematic review of the study design, statistical analyses, and outcomes of the many social contact surveys that have been published. Methods: PubMed and Web of Science were systematically searched for articles regarding social contact surveys. PRISMA guidelines were followed as closely as possible. Results: In total, 64 social contact surveys were identifi ed, with more than 80% of the surveys conducted in high-income countries. Study settings included general population (58%), schools/universities (37%), and health care/conference/research institutes (5%). The majority of studies did not focus on a speci fic age group (38%), whereas others focused on adults (32%) or children (19%). Retrospective and prospective designs were used mostly (45% and 41% of the surveys, respectively) with 6% using both for comparison purposes. The de nition of a contact varied among surveys, e.g. a non-physical contact may require conversation, close proximity or both. Age, time schedule (e.g., weekday/weekend), and household size were identfi ed as relevant determinants for contact pattern across a large number of studies. Conclusions: We found that the overall contact patterns were remarkably robust for the study details. By considering the most common approach in each aspect of design (e.g., sampling schemes, data collection, de nition of contact), we could identify recommendations for future contact data surveys that can be used to facilitate comparison between studies and for benchmarking future studies.