ESTIMATING SOCIAL NETWORK SIZE USING NETWORK SCALE-UP METHOD (NSUM) IN IRANSHAHR, SISTAN AND BALUCHESTAN PROVINCE, IRAN

Background and Aim : Objectives: The network scale-up method is an indirect method of estimating the size of hidden and hard-to-reach populations. An important prerequisite in this method is the estimation of active social network size, considered in the present study conducted in Iranshahr, IranMethods : Social network size was calculated using the known subpopulation approach and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). Participants above 18 years of age took part in a street-based survey. Results : From among 1000 participants, 50.2% were rural. The social network size of the residents of Iranshahr was estimated at 308.35 with 12 remaining subgroups. Pearson’s correlation coefficient between real and estimated values in known subpopulations was equal to 0.92 (p-value=0.001). Men, aged 25-39 years, those with high education levels, employees, and those residing in villages had a wider social network. The estimated social network size had a significant relationship with sex, level of education, and place of residence (p-value<0.001)Conclusion : The estimated social network size in Iranshahr was smaller than the value reported by a study conducted in the whole country (ratio-based method). Also, a similarity was observed between the estimated social network sizes of women and men in Iranshahr. Research designs which are comparable in terms of methodology and in which participants are adjusted with one another in terms of demographic variables will lead to more accurate estimations of social network size.

کلیدواژه ها:

Network scale-up ، Population size estimation ، Social network size ، Hidden population