Using step selection functions to analyse human mobility using telemetry data in infectious disease epidemiology: a...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Epidemiology
• Human Movement Ecology
• Infectious Disease Transmission

Background:

• Human movement is a key factor in infectious disease transmission, particularly for environmentally-driven diseases like leptospirosis.
• Leptospirosis, a zoonotic bacterial infection, is associated with contact with contaminated mud and water.
• Understanding fine-scale human movement in relation to environmental risk factors is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze fine-scale human movement patterns using GPS telemetry data.
• To investigate the interaction of human movement with environmental risk factors in urban slums.
• To identify differences in movement patterns based on gender, age, and leptospirosis serological status.

Main Methods:

• Utilized GPS loggers to collect detailed telemetry data from 124 participants over 24-48 hours.
• Applied step-selection functions, a spatio-temporal model from animal ecology, to human movement data.
• Segmented movement data into time periods (morning, midday, afternoon, evening) and analyzed proximity to environmental features (rubbish piles, sewers, stream).

Main Results:

• Women exhibited distinct movement patterns, moving closer to the stream and farther from open sewers compared to men.
• Individuals with positive leptospirosis serological status actively avoided open sewers.
• Step-selection functions provided quantitative estimates of movement selection coefficients toward specific environmental factors.

Conclusions:

• This study introduces a novel application of animal movement ecology models to human telemetry data for infectious disease research.
• Movement patterns vary significantly by gender and infection status, highlighting the importance of socio-environmental factors in disease transmission.
• Findings offer critical insights for developing targeted public health interventions to mitigate leptospirosis risk in urban slum settings.