Incorporating social vulnerability in infectious disease mathematical modelling : a scoping review

© 2024. The Author(s)..

BACKGROUND: Highlighted by the rise of COVID-19, climate change, and conflict, socially vulnerable populations are least resilient to disaster. In infectious disease management, mathematical models are a commonly used tool. Researchers should include social vulnerability in models to strengthen their utility in reflecting real-world dynamics. We conducted a scoping review to evaluate how researchers have incorporated social vulnerability into infectious disease mathematical models.

METHODS: The methodology followed the Joanna Briggs Institute and updated Arksey and O'Malley frameworks, verified by the PRISMA-ScR checklist. PubMed, Clarivate Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO Africa Wide Information, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for peer-reviewed published articles. Screening and extracting data were done by two independent researchers.

RESULTS: Of 4075 results, 89 articles were identified. Two-thirds of articles used a compartmental model (n = 58, 65.2%), with a quarter using agent-based models (n = 24, 27.0%). Overall, routine indicators, namely age and sex, were among the most frequently used measures (n = 42, 12.3%; n = 22, 6.4%, respectively). Only one measure related to culture and social behaviour (0.3%). For compartmental models, researchers commonly constructed distinct models for each level of a social vulnerability measure and included new parameters or influenced standard parameters in model equations (n = 30, 51.7%). For all agent-based models, characteristics were assigned to hosts (n = 24, 100.0%), with most models including age, contact behaviour, and/or sex (n = 18, 75.0%; n = 14, 53.3%; n = 10, 41.7%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: Given the importance of equitable and effective infectious disease management, there is potential to further the field. Our findings demonstrate that social vulnerability is not considered holistically. There is a focus on incorporating routine demographic indicators but important cultural and social behaviours that impact health outcomes are excluded. It is crucial to develop models that foreground social vulnerability to not only design more equitable interventions, but also to develop more effective infectious disease control and elimination strategies. Furthermore, this study revealed the lack of transparency around data sources, inconsistent reporting, lack of collaboration with local experts, and limited studies focused on modelling cultural indicators. These challenges are priorities for future research.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:22

Enthalten in:

BMC medicine - 22(2024), 1 vom: 18. März, Seite 125

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Naidoo, Megan [VerfasserIn]
Shephard, Whitney [VerfasserIn]
Kambewe, Innocensia [VerfasserIn]
Mtshali, Nokuthula [VerfasserIn]
Cope, Sky [VerfasserIn]
Rubio, Felipe Alves [VerfasserIn]
Rasella, Davide [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Global health
Health disparities
Health equity
Health inequalities
Infectious disease
Journal Article
Mathematical modelling
Review
Social determinants of health
Social vulnerability
Systematic Review

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 20.03.2024

Date Revised 21.03.2024

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1186/s12916-024-03333-y

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM369897900