Document Type

Honors Project On-Campus Access Only

Abstract

Mathematical models of disease are tools for guiding health policy, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Model development requires the careful consideration of the necessary assumptions and simplifications. We introduce basic sexually transmitted infection modeling theory, then consider two assumptions in the context of HPV: first, we improve upon a representation of sexual partnerships between age groups that is not based on sexual behavior data; and second, we examine the exclusion of non-heterosexual partnerships from the vast majority of sexually transmitted infection models. We calculate the effect of the simplifying assumptions on estimates of vaccine benefits.

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