Jerel M Ezell1,2, Dana Pasquale3, Shirish Poudyal4, Sameena Azhar5, Ellis Monk6, Mahesh Vidula7, Vijay Yeldandi8,9, Edward Laumann1,2, Chuanhong Liao10,11, John A Schneider2,10,11. 1. Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 2. Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 3. Department of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. 4. Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 5. School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 6. Department of Sociology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. 7. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. 8. International Center for Human Health Advancement, SHARE India, Hyderabad, India. 9. Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA. 10. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 11. Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Abstract
Objectives: There is a growing burden of HIV and sex-related diseases in South Asia and India. Sociological research illustrates that key axes of social stratification, such as race and ethnicity, affect social network structure which, in turn, impacts sexual health and wellbeing. Research on networks has increasingly begun to examine the ways in which networks drive or harness sexual behaviors, but has largely neglected the influence of culture and cultural markers in this continuum. Furthermore, much of the existing scholarship has been conducted in the U.S. or in Western contexts.Design: As part of an exploratory effort, we examined how skin color and body mass index (BMI) affected networks among 206 men who have with men (MSM) frequenting sex markets in Hyderabad, India. A novel phone-based network generation method of respondent-driven sampling was used for recruitment. In assessing how skin color and BMI drive these structures, we also compared how these factors contribute to networks relative to two more commonly referenced markers of social difference among Indians, caste and religion. Results: Our findings suggest that skin color and BMI contribute significantly more to network structure than do caste and religion.Conclusions: These findings tentatively illuminate the importance of individual-level heterogeneity in bodily attributes, factors which are seldom considered in conventional approaches to researching how social stratification and health inequalities are animated during the formation of networks.
Objectives: There is a growing burden of HIV and sex-related diseases in South Asia and India. Sociological research illustrates that key axes of social stratification, such as race and ethnicity, affect social network structure which, in turn, impacts sexual health and wellbeing. Research on networks has increasingly begun to examine the ways in which networks drive or harness sexual behaviors, but has largely neglected the influence of culture and cultural markers in this continuum. Furthermore, much of the existing scholarship has been conducted in the U.S. or in Western contexts.Design: As part of an exploratory effort, we examined how skin color and body mass index (BMI) affected networks among 206 men who have with men (MSM) frequenting sex markets in Hyderabad, India. A novel phone-based network generation method of respondent-driven sampling was used for recruitment. In assessing how skin color and BMI drive these structures, we also compared how these factors contribute to networks relative to two more commonly referenced markers of social difference among Indians, caste and religion. Results: Our findings suggest that skin color and BMI contribute significantly more to network structure than do caste and religion.Conclusions: These findings tentatively illuminate the importance of individual-level heterogeneity in bodily attributes, factors which are seldom considered in conventional approaches to researching how social stratification and health inequalities are animated during the formation of networks.
Entities:
Keywords:
BMI; India; Social networks; men who have sex with men; skin color
Authors: Yasser Khazaal; Mathias van Singer; Anne Chatton; Sophia Achab; Daniele Zullino; Stephane Rothen; Riaz Khan; Joel Billieux; Gabriel Thorens Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2014-07-07 Impact factor: 5.428