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Challenges to recruiting population representative samples of female sex workers in China using Respondent Driven Sampling

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  • Merli, M. Giovanna
  • Moody, James
  • Smith, Jeffrey
  • Li, Jing
  • Weir, Sharon
  • Chen, Xiangsheng

Abstract

We explore the network coverage of a sample of female sex workers (FSWs) in China recruited through Respondent Drive Sampling (RDS) as part of an effort to evaluate the claim of RDS of population representation with empirical data. We take advantage of unique information on the social networks of FSWs obtained from two overlapping studies – RDS and a venue-based sampling approach (PLACE) – and use an exponential random graph modeling (ERGM) framework from local networks to construct a likely network from which our observed RDS sample is drawn. We then run recruitment chains over this simulated network to assess the assumption that the RDS chain referral process samples participants in proportion to their degree and the extent to which RDS satisfactorily covers certain parts of the network. We find evidence that, contrary to assumptions, RDS oversamples low degree nodes and geographically central areas of the network. Unlike previous evaluations of RDS which have explored the performance of RDS sampling chains on a non-hidden population, or the performance of simulated chains over previously mapped realistic social networks, our study provides a robust, empirically grounded evaluation of the performance of RDS chains on a real-world hidden population.

Suggested Citation

  • Merli, M. Giovanna & Moody, James & Smith, Jeffrey & Li, Jing & Weir, Sharon & Chen, Xiangsheng, 2015. "Challenges to recruiting population representative samples of female sex workers in China using Respondent Driven Sampling," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 79-93.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:125:y:2015:i:c:p:79-93
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.04.022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gile, Krista J., 2011. "Improved Inference for Respondent-Driven Sampling Data With Application to HIV Prevalence Estimation," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 106(493), pages 135-146.
    2. Xin Lu & Linus Bengtsson & Tom Britton & Martin Camitz & Beom Jun Kim & Anna Thorson & Fredrik Liljeros, 2012. "The sensitivity of respondent‐driven sampling," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 175(1), pages 191-216, January.
    3. Hunter, David R. & Handcock, Mark S. & Butts, Carter T. & Goodreau, Steven M. & Morris, Martina, 2008. "ergm: A Package to Fit, Simulate and Diagnose Exponential-Family Models for Networks," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 24(i03).
    4. Thespina J. Yamanis & M. Giovanna Merli & William Whipple Neely & Felicia Feng Tian & James Moody & Xiaowen Tu & Ersheng Gao, 2013. "An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Recruitment Patterns on RDS Estimates among a Socially Ordered Population of Female Sex Workers in China," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 42(3), pages 392-425, August.
    5. Steven Goodreau & James Kitts & Martina Morris, 2009. "Birds of a feather, or friend of a friend? using exponential random graph models to investigate adolescent social networks," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 46(1), pages 103-125, February.
    6. McCormick, Tyler H. & Salganik, Matthew J. & Zheng, Tian, 2010. "How Many People Do You Know?: Efficiently Estimating Personal Network Size," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 105(489), pages 59-70.
    7. Alex Carballo-Diéguez & Ivan Balan & Rubén Marone & María A Pando & Curtis Dolezal & Victoria Barreda & Cheng-Shiun Leu & María Mercedes Ávila, 2011. "Use of Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) Generates a Very Diverse Sample of Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Buenos Aires, Argentina," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(11), pages 1-8, November.
    8. Morris, M. & Kurth, A.E. & Hamilton, D.T. & Moody, J. & Wakefield, S., 2009. "Concurrent partnerships and HIV prevalence disparities by race: Linking science and public health practice," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(6), pages 1023-1031.
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    1. Samuel F Rosenblatt & Jeffrey A Smith & G Robin Gauthier & Laurent Hébert-Dufresne, 2020. "Immunization strategies in networks with missing data," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(7), pages 1-21, July.
    2. M. Merli & James Moody & Joshua Mendelsohn & Robin Gauthier, 2015. "Sexual Mixing in Shanghai: Are Heterosexual Contact Patterns Compatible With an HIV/AIDS Epidemic?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 919-942, June.

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