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Published on: July 1, 2014
Temporal Connectivity of Social Contact Networks in Urban and Rural India
Dehao Chen1, Prasanna Samuel2, Rajan Srinivasan2
1Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.)
|July 6, 2026
Summary
Temporal connectivity in India was quantified using forward-reachable path (FRP). School, work, and other locations significantly increase epidemic potential for respiratory diseases beyond home contacts.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Network Science
- Public Health
Background:
- The epidemic potential of infectious diseases is influenced by temporal connectivity within social networks, a factor often unquantified in resource-limited settings.
- The forward-reachable path (FRP) metric quantifies the proportion of a population reachable from an individual, assessing temporal connectivity for disease transmission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify temporal connectivity in rural and urban contact networks in Tamil Nadu, India, using the FRP metric.
- To assess the epidemic potential for acute respiratory transmission based on network structures in diverse settings.
Main Methods:
- Empirical social-contact data from rural and urban Tamil Nadu, India, were collected.
- Contact-location-specific network statistics were derived to parameterize dynamic network models.
- Simulations of daily networks over one year were used to compute FRPs.
Main Results:
- Mean FRPs increased significantly at school, work, and 'other' locations compared to home, especially by day 365.
- By day 365, mean FRPs were highest in 'other' locations (40.54% rural, 67.99% urban), followed by work and school.
- Peak FRPs varied by age group and location: home (≥60 years), school (10-19 years), and work (40-59 years).
Conclusions:
- Reachability significantly expands beyond household contacts through school, work, and other social interactions.
- These findings highlight substantial temporal connectivity and epidemic potential for acute respiratory diseases in the studied settings.
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