Application of the capture-recapture method in estimating the size of the active homosexual male population in Hangzhou city of China

Weihua Zhou; Manli Huang; Ning Wei; Shaohua Hu; Erqing Wei; Yi Xu

doi:10.1177/1010539512448211

Application of the capture-recapture method in estimating the size of the active homosexual male population in Hangzhou city of China

Asia Pac J Public Health. 2015 Mar;27(2):NP2423-32. doi: 10.1177/1010539512448211. Epub 2012 Jun 28.

Authors

Weihua Zhou¹, Manli Huang¹, Ning Wei¹, Shaohua Hu¹, Erqing Wei¹, Yi Xu²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
² Department of Psychiatry, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China xuyi1961@yahoo.cn.

PMID: 22743853
DOI: 10.1177/1010539512448211

Abstract

The homosexual population is particularly susceptible to sexually transmitted disease because of various high-risk sexual behaviors among them. The authors explored the application of capture-recapture methods in estimating the size of the sexually active homosexual male population in Hangzhou. Homosexual men at 9 activity sites were investigated in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The total active homosexual male population of Hangzhou estimated by the capture-recapture method and multiplier method was 2014 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1899-2129) and 2012.5 (95% CI 1925 to 2101), respectively. This study shows that the capture-recapture method can be used to enumerate and provide accurate and reliable estimates of the active homosexual population in any area, provided that certain conditions are controlled.

Keywords: capture-recapture methods; homosexual male; population size.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
China
Data Collection / methods*
Homosexuality, Male* / statistics & numerical data
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Sexual Behavior* / statistics & numerical data
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Surveys and Questionnaires