Determinación de patrones de contactos para enfermedades de transmisión aérea en comunidades de Camagüey, Cuba

introduction: a preliminary study was conducted to determine the contact patterns of air-transmission diseases in a community as well as the social structures for such contacts. methods: a questionnaire was distributed where 80 persons declared how many subjects were contacts during a working day, taking into account the different ages, length, usual frequency and the age of contacts. the following data of participants were related: sex, age, job, and schooling level, number of persons with who they live together and age group with the frequency of general total of contacts. the relation among ages of participants and the total of contacts of the persons selected among 15-29 ages were reflected by manova model analyzing the age effect of participants on contact frequencies for the different ages of contacts. a regression analysis was made without error with restrictions in parameters to assess the relative weight of each of contact totals by each category of contact group over the big total of contacts. results: participants had 1 508 contacts (mean 18,8 ± 7,4). there was a relation among ages of participants and that of its contact where those aged under 30 had a greater number of contacts. there was predominance of more closed physical contacts. the more significant contacts categories were: age of 15-29 years, those occurring more than three times a day, more than one hour, daily and that occurred in school.