Abstract
This paper assesses the potential cohesion effect of a physical activity (PA) school-based intervention potentiated using text messages (SMS) through analyzing longitudinally the friendship network structure and the mechanisms of the formation and dissolution of friendships. Three schools (n = 125 participants) in Bogotá, Colombia, were randomly assigned into three groups: Modulo Activo Recreo Activo (MARA) + SMS (networks 1 and 2), MARA (networks 3 and 4), and control (no intervention: networks 5–7). We collected socio-economic, health-related, network structure, and intervention satisfaction variables in the baseline and after 10 weeks on July–November 2013. For each classroom network, we conducted four models using a temporal and static network approach to assess (1) temporal social network changes, (2) friendship homophily, (3) friendship formation and dissolution mechanisms, and (4) effect of SMS on the networks’ cohesion. We found that (1) social cohesion emerged in the four intervened networks that were measured over time with transitivity and homophily driven by clustering, (2) the intervention affected the mechanisms of friendship formation and dissolution, and (3) MARA + SMS on average created more social cohesion and 3.8 more friendships than the program alone. Potentially, school-based interventions with information and communication technologies (ICT) such as MARA + SMS could encourage social cohesion among children. The particular characteristics of each school network need to be considered when developing school-based interventions.
Highlights
Childhood is a crucial period for developing healthy lifestyles [1] such as regular engagement in physical activity (PA)
We found significant dyadic homophily driven by sex for most networks, meaning that children were more likely to relate with same-sex peers than expected by chance
(MARA), we found that when information and communication technologies (ICT) is included, the impact on increasing network cohesion is greater
Summary
Childhood is a crucial period for developing healthy lifestyles [1] such as regular engagement in physical activity (PA). Longitudinal studies have found that PA levels decrease during adolescence, and there is a need to understand the mechanisms of interventions that promote long-term healthy lifestyles [5,6]. Physical education classes and recess time are relevant for the promotion of PA in students since they spend 6 to 8 hours per day in school [7,8]. Strategies involving recess time are promising interventions for the promotion of PA in students [9,10], and in Latin America, school interventions are recommended as effective strategies [11]. There are no studies on the effect of MARA on the formation and dissolution of friendship networks over time, and the potential of the program in fostering social cohesion when potentiated with ICT
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