Health and Development Journal

Health and Development Journal

Population Size Estimation of Hidden Groups: Things We Have Learned from Iran’s Experiences

Document Type : Letter to Editor

Authors
Ali Akbar Haghdoost 1
Hamid Sharifi 2
Mohammad Reza Baneshi 3
1 Modeling in Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
2 HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
3 Center for Longitudinal and Life Course Research, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
10.34172/jhad.1200
Subjects
  1. Bernard HR, Hallett T, Iovita A, Johnsen EC, Lyerla R, McCarty C, et al. Counting hard-to-count populations: the network scale-up method for public health. Sex Transm Infect. 2010;86(Suppl 2):ii11-5. doi: 1136/sti.2010.044446.
  2. Xu C, Jing F, Lu Y, Ni Y, Tucker J, Wu D, et al. Summarizing methods for estimating population size for key populations: a global scoping review for human immunodeficiency virus research. AIDS Res Ther. 2022;19(1):9. doi: 1186/s12981-022-00434-7.
  3. Johnston LG, McLaughlin KR, El Rhilani H, Latifi A, Toufik A, Bennani A, et al. Estimating the size of hidden populations using respondent-driven sampling data: case examples from Morocco. Epidemiology. 2015;26(6):846-52. doi: 1097/ede.0000000000000362.
  4. Ewemooje OS, Adebola FB, Amahia GN. Alternative estimator in dichotomous randomized response technique. Commun Math Stat. 2019;7(4):383-400. doi: 1007/s40304-018-0145-x.
  5. Zhao Y. Estimating the size of an injecting drug user population. World J AIDS. 2011;1(3):88-93.
  6. Abdul-Quader AS, Baughman AL, Hladik W. Estimating the size of key populations: current status and future possibilities. Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 2014;9(2):107-14. doi: 1097/coh.0000000000000041.
  7. Crawford FW, Wu J, Heimer R. Hidden population size estimation from respondent-driven sampling: a network approach. J Am Stat Assoc. 2018;113(522):755-66. doi: 1080/01621459.2017.1285775.
  8. Feehan DM, Salganik MJ. Generalizing the network scale-up method: a new estimator for the size of hidden populations. Sociol Methodol. 2016;46(1):153-86. doi: 1177/0081175016665425.
  9. Nikfarjam A, Shokoohi M, Shahesmaeili A, Haghdoost AA, Baneshi MR, Haji-Maghsoudi S, et al. National population size estimation of illicit drug users through the network scale-up method in 2013 in Iran. Int J Drug Policy. 2016;31:147-52. doi: 1016/j.drugpo.2016.01.013.
  10. Rastegari A, Baneshi MR, Hajebi A, Noroozi A, Karamouzian M, Shokoohi M, et al. Population size estimation of people who use illicit drugs and alcohol in Iran (2015-2016). Int J Health Policy Manag. 2023;12:6578. doi: 34172/ijhpm.2022.6578.
  11. Shokoohi M, Baneshi MR, Haghdoost AA. Size estimation of groups at high risk of HIV/AIDS using network scale up in Kerman, Iran. Int J Prev Med. 2012;3(7):471-6.
  12. Sheikhzadeh K, Baneshi MR, Afshari M, Haghdoost AA. Comparing direct, network scale-up, and proxy respondent methods in estimating risky behaviors among collegians. J Subst Use. 2016;21(1):9-13. doi: 3109/14659891.2014.942401.
  13. Jafari-Khounigh A, Haghdoost AA, Salari Lak S, Zeinalzadeh AH, Yousefi-Farkhad R, Mohammadzadeh M, et al. Size estimation of most-at-risk groups of HIV/AIDS using network scale-up in Tabriz, Iran. J Clin Res Gov. 2014;3(1):21-6. doi: 13183/jcrg.v3i1.80.
  14. Nikfarjam A, Hajimaghsoudi S, Rastegari A, Haghdoost AA, Nasehi AA, Memaryan N, et al. The frequency of alcohol use in Iranian urban population: the results of a national network scale up survey. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2017;6(2):97-102. doi: 15171/ijhpm.2016.103.
  15. Kazemzadeh Y, Shokoohi M, Baneshi MR, Haghdoost AA. The frequency of high-risk behaviors among Iranian college students using indirect methods: network scale-up and crosswise model. Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2016;5(3):e25130. doi: 5812/ijhrba.25130.
  16. Sharifi H, Karamouzian M, Baneshi MR, Shokoohi M, Haghdoost AA, McFarland W, et al. Population size estimation of female sex workers in Iran: synthesis of methods and results. PLoS One. 2017;12(8):e0182755. doi: 1371/journal.pone.0182755.
  17. Rastegari A, Baneshi MR, Haji-Maghsoudi S, Nakhaee N, Eslami M, Malekafzali H, et al. Estimating the annual incidence of abortions in Iran applying a network scale-up approach. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2014;16(10):e15765. doi: 5812/ircmj.15765.
  18. Zamanian M, Zolala F, Haghdoost AA, Baneshi MR. Estimating the annual abortion rate in Kerman, Iran: comparison of direct, network scale-up, and single sample count methods. Int J Fertil Steril. 2019;13(3):209-14. doi: 22074/ijfs.2019.5721.
  19. Moradinazar M, Najafi F, Baneshi MR, Haghdoost AA. Size estimation of under-reported suicides and suicide attempts using network scale up method. Bull Emerg Trauma. 2019;7(2):99-104. doi: 29252/beat-070202.
Health and Development Journal
Volume 14, Issue 1
Spring 2025
Pages 1-2

  • Receive Date 17 August 2025
  • Revise Date 03 September 2025
  • Accept Date 03 September 2025