Statistical Power and Estimation of Incidence Rate Ratios Obtained from BED Incidence Testing for Evaluating HIV Interventions among Young People
2011

Estimating HIV Intervention Effects Using BED Incidence Testing

Sample size: 3274 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Auvert Bertran, Mahiane Guy Séverin, Lissouba Pascale, Moreau Thierry

Primary Institution: CESP INSERM-UVSQ UMRS-1018, Villejuif, France

Hypothesis

Can BED incidence testing effectively estimate the effect of HIV prevention interventions among young people in high HIV incidence areas?

Conclusion

BED incidence testing can be effectively used with smaller sample sizes to estimate the incidence rate ratios of HIV interventions among young people.

Supporting Evidence

  • BED incidence testing can yield a theoretical power of 75% or more compared to classical cohort studies.
  • The effect of a prevention intervention can be estimated with precision using BED incidence testing data.
  • Smaller sample sizes can achieve adequate statistical power when using BED incidence testing among young people.

Takeaway

This study shows that a special test can help us understand how well HIV prevention methods work, even if we don't have a lot of people to test.

Methodology

The study used theoretical calculations and simulations based on empirical data to assess the power of BED incidence testing.

Potential Biases

Potential misclassifications of HIV status could affect the results.

Limitations

The study assumes a constant HIV incidence rate and relies on the accuracy of the BED assay characteristics.

Participant Demographics

Young people aged 18 to 24 from sub-Saharan Africa.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.40

Confidence Interval

95% CI: 0.24–0.68

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0021149

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication