Close Social Networks Research Articles

Understanding barriers and motivations to papillomavirus vaccination in a middle school in Reunion Island

BackgroundIn Reunion Island, papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage is low. A study encouraging vaccination in middle school showed low rate of participation. The main objective of the study was to understand barriers and motivations to HPV vaccination in populations yet sensitized to its benefits. MethodsThe study focused on population around the intervention school where a health promotion program was conducted during school year 2020–2021. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews among children, children’s parents, school staff, general practitioners (GP) and association members were conducted. A qualitative study was adopted using a grounded theory approach to obtain an in-depth understanding of issues pertaining to HPV vaccination. FindingsA total of 19 school staff members, 20 parents of middle school children, 39 children, 5 GPs and 3 association members were interviewed in May 2021. Anti-vaccination attitudes included: fear of serious adverse effects (such as fertility) due to poor knowledge, fear of encouraging sexuality among teenagers, mistrust towards scientists and the pharmaceutical industry and the negative impact from social networks. However, we found that the influence of the school, GP’s and ‘story-telling’ study testimonials were crucial to invert the balance and motivate children’s vaccination. InterpretationReproductive adverse events related to the HPV vaccine may be strongly perceived amongst our population, either regarding fertility or negative fetal effects; though Reunion island has 5% of pregnancies among teenagers.It is crucial to lift this taboo related to sexuality and encourage dialogue between children and their close social network. This better understanding of barriers and motivations will help us increase the impact of school-based HPV vaccination, which will be introduced in September 2023 in whole France.

Investigating Attitudes, Motivations and Key Influencers for COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake among Late Adopters in Urban Zimbabwe.

The rapid development of vaccines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an effective tool for the management of COVID-19. However, in many African countries there has been a poor uptake of COVID-19 vaccines with only 32.5% first vaccine dose coverage compared to the WHO global target of 70%. As vaccine access improves, one of the important drivers of low uptake has been vaccine hesitancy, driven by levels of confidence, convenience, and complacency. Between 4 January-11 February 2022, we conducted a survey of vaccine late adopters to assess factors that influenced adults in Harare, Zimbabwe to present for their first COVID-19 vaccine dose almost 12 months after the vaccination program began. Of the 1016 adults enrolled, 50% were female and 12.4% had HIV co-infection. Binary logistic regression models were developed to understand factors associated with vaccine confidence. Women were more likely to have negative views about the COVID-19 vaccine compared to men (OR 1.51 (95%CI 1.16, 1.97, p = 0.002). Older adults (≥40 years) compared with youth (18-25 years) were more likely to have 'major concerns' about vaccines. When asked about their concerns, 602 (59.3%) considered immediate side effects as a major concern and 520 (52.1%) were concerned about long-term health effects. People living with HIV (PLWH) were more likely to perceive vaccines as safe (OR 1.71 (95%CI: 1.07, 2.74, p = 0.025) and effective (1.68 (95%CI: 1.07, 2.64, p = 0.026). Internet users were less likely to perceive vaccines as safe (OR 0.72 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.95, p = 0.021) compared to non-Internet users; and social media was a more likely source of information for youth and those with higher education. Family members were the primary key influencers for 560 (55.2%) participants. The most important reason for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine for 715 (70.4%) participants was the protection of individual health. Improving vaccine coverage will need targeted communication strategies that address negative perceptions of vaccines and associated safety and effectiveness concerns. Leveraging normative behavior as a social motivator for vaccination will be important, as close social networks are key influences of vaccination.

Civil society’s impact on quality of life

ABSTRACT The purpose of the article is to analyze the impact of three forms of involvement in organized civil society – as ‘participant’, as ‘member’ and as ‘volunteer’ – on self-assessed quality of life when checking for coherence between the three forms of participation. The article is inspired by both Lim and Putnam’s claim that close social networks around meaningful and identity-bearing activities increase self-assessed quality of life and Stebbins’ claim that life satisfaction is an essential by-product of ‘serious leisure’. This article utilizes data from a digital survey study conducted among adult citizens in Denmark, which 2514 citizens answered. The questionnaire contained a broad range of questions regarding participation in leisure activities, membership in associations, engagement in voluntary work, subjective life-satisfaction, self-assessed health and social background of the respondents. The statistical regression analysis shows a correlation between volunteering in general and self-assessed quality of life, but the correlation is relatively weak. However, the analysis does not show a significant correlation between the quality of life and membership in an association and participation in ‘serious leisure’. Of the other variables included, self-assessed health, in particular, contributes to explaining the variation in self-assessed quality of life.

COVID-19の身近な感染脅威が予防行動に与える影響―日本人大学生を対象とした研究―

COVID-19の身近な感染脅威が予防行動に与える影響―日本人大学生を対象とした研究―

Do Social Norms for Cigarette Smoking and Nicotine Vaping Product Use Predict Trying Nicotine Vaping Products and Attempts to Quit Cigarette Smoking Amongst Adult Smokers? Findings From the 2016-2020 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys.

To examine whether perceived injunctive and descriptive social norms towards cigarette and nicotine vaping product (NVP) use predicted subsequent trying NVPs and attempts to quit cigarette smoking amongst current smokers and whether associations varied across countries. Three waves of longitudinal cohort data from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey were collected between 2016 and 2020 from 2290 adult smokers in Canada, Australia, England, and the United States who had never used NVPs at baseline (either wave 1 or wave 2) and followed up at the subsequent wave (wave 2 or wave 3, respectively) were analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations. Of the injunctive and descriptive norm measures for smoking and NVP use, NVP initiation was only independently predicted by the injunctive interpersonal norm for NVP use, with perceived approval of NVP use by important others predicting higher odds of trying NVPs (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.20 to 2.27). This predictive effect was independent of baseline quit intention with no country variations found. By contrast, making cigarette smoking quit attempts were independently predicted by both injunctive and descriptive interpersonal norms with perceived disapproval of smoking by important others (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.38 to 1.99) and close friends using NVPs (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.79), both associated with higher odds of smoking quit attempts. Adult smokers who perceive NVP use as normative, either because such behavior is socially approved or common within their close social networks, appear more inclined to try NVPs or make smoking quit attempts than smokers who do not. Social norms can shape a person's behavior and result in behavior change. This study shows that initiation of NVP use behavior among smokers can be reliably predicted by their perception of whether NVP use is acceptable to those important to them within their close social networks. Similarly, any attempts to stop cigarette smoking can be predicted by their perception of how acceptable cigarette smoking is among those who are important to them and whether any of their close friends use NVPs. Changing social norms towards cigarette smoking and NVP use could therefore be incorporated into smoking cessation interventions to help smokers to quit and/or switch to NVP use.

Reputation Effect on Contract Choice and Self-Enforcement: A Case Study of Farmland Transfer in China

The prevailing informal contracts of farmland transfer in China are facing frequent disputes and defaults, which call for effective self-enforcement mechanisms operating through transactors’ reputations and social networks. However, the effects of reputation on contract choice and self-enforcement have not been thoroughly considered and examined by existing research in the case of farmland transfer. This study explores the reputation’s ex-ante signaling effect on farmers’ contract choices and the ex-post penalty effect on farmers’ performance in informal contracts. Based on 403 transfer contracts obtained from a field survey conducted in the Hebei province of China, we apply the multinomial logit model and Heckman probit model to perform empirical analysis. The results show that, affected by the penalty effect, farmers with good reputations are more likely to fulfill informal contracts to avoid reputation damage and the resulting loss of future trading opportunities. However, in the ex-ante stage of contract choice, a farmer’s reputation has no significant signaling effect on the formation of informal contracts. The informal contracts are chosen due to farmers’ trust in the close social network and the demand for reduced transaction costs. These findings highlight the importance of personal reputation serving as a form of relational governance in the self-enforcement of informal contracts, which provides a means of enhancing the informal contract’s effectiveness in terms of farmland transfer in the rural acquaintance society. It also provides insights into the necessity of creating a supportive environment for informal rules. Policies should encourage the building of personal reputation and establishment of good social norms to form a long-term, stable and reasonable contractual relationship for farmland transfer.

Transitions between tobacco products: Correlates of changes in cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use among exclusive adult smokers and dual users in Mexico

This study examined transitions in tobacco products use among Mexican smokers and dual users. Data were analyzed from exclusive smokers (n = 2,946) and dual users (n = 1,643) recruited from an online consumer research panel and surveyed every-four months from November 2018 to April 2021. For exclusive smokers, estimated transitions were (time “t + 1” four months after prior survey): a) remain as exclusive smokers; b) dual use; c) exclusive e-cigarette use or quit both products. Among dual users, transitions analyzed were: a) remain as dual user; b) exclusive smoker; c) exclusive e-cigarette user or quit both products. Multinomial models regressed transitions at “t + 1” on time “t” for control variables. Most exclusive smokers (81%) remained as such, 12.6% transitioned to dual use, 2.3% to exclusive e-cigarette use, and 4% quitted both products. Exclusive smokers were more likely to transition to dual use if they recently attempted to quit (AOR = 1.45) or had partners/family or friends who used e-cigarettes (AOR = 2.47 & 2.56 respectively). Most dual users (74.8%) remained as dual users, 20.4% transitioned to exclusive smoking, 1.6% transitioned to exclusive e-cigarette use, and 3.2% quitted both products. Dual users were more likely to transition to exclusive smoking if they had lower educational attainment, recently attempted to quit e-cigarettes (AOR = 1.70). Having friends who use e-cigarettes (AOR = 0.29) and higher smoking dependence (AOR = 0.55) were associated with a lower likelihood of quitting. Recent quit attempts and e-cigarette use among close social network members may explain the short-term transitions, though longer follow-up is needed to assess sustained smoking cessation.

Injunctive Norms for Cannabis: A Comparison of Perceived and Actual Approval of Close Social Network Members

Injunctive Norms for Cannabis: A Comparison of Perceived and Actual Approval of Close Social Network Members

Ethical and practical considerations arising from community consultation on implementing controlled human infection studies using Schistosoma mansoni in Uganda

ABSTRACT Issues related to controlled human infection studies using Schistosoma mansoni (CHI-S) were explored to ensure the ethical and voluntary participation of potential CHI-S volunteers in an endemic setting in Uganda. We invited volunteers from a fishing community and a tertiary education community to guide the development of informed consent procedures. Consultative group discussions were held to modify educational materials on schistosomiasis, vaccines and the CHI-S model and similar discussions were held with a test group. With both groups, a mock consent process was conducted. Fourteen in-depth key informant interviews and three group discussions were held to explore perceptions towards participating in a CHI-S. Most of the participants had not heard of the CHI-S. Willingness to take part depended on understanding the study procedures and the consenting process. Close social networks were key in deciding to take part. The worry of adverse effects was cited as a possible hindrance to taking part. Volunteer time compensation was unclear for a CHI-S. Potential volunteers in these communities are willing to take part in a CHI-S. Community engagement is needed to build trust and time must be taken to share study procedures and ensure understanding of key messages.

Istanbul as a "City of Design"

Istanbul as a "City of Design"

Testing a social network approach to promote HIV self-testing and linkage to care among fishermen at Lake Victoria: study protocol for the Owete cluster randomized controlled trial

BackgroundNearly 50% of men living with HIV in many countries are unaware of their HIV status; men also have lower uptake of HIV treatment and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). In SSA, highly mobile men such as those working in fishing communities alongside Lake Victoria have low uptake of HIV testing and low rates of linkage to HIV treatment and PrEP, despite increasing availability of these services. HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits hold promise for overcoming barriers to HIV testing and linkage to services for HIV-positive and HIV-negative men. We describe here a protocol for an HIV status-neutral, social network-based approach to promote HIV testing, linkage to care and prevention, and better health outcomes, including adherence, in fishermen around Lake Victoria.MethodsUtilizing beach management unit (BMU) registries of fishermen operating in three Lake Victoria fishing communities in Siaya County, Kenya, we completed a census and social network mapping to identify close social networks of men. Network clusters identified by a socially-central lead (“promotor”) and selected to ensure maximal separation between treatment and control will be randomized. Promotors in both arms will receive basic HIV training; intervention promotors are further trained in HIVST to distribute kits to their cluster, while control promotors will distribute to their cluster vouchers for free HIVST at nearby clinics. We will test whether these promoters can enhance linkage to ART and PrEP after self-testing, thereby addressing a key limitation of HIVST. We will also measure 6- and 12-month viral load in those living with HIV and PrEP adherence among those without HIV via urine tenofovir levels as objective markers of adherence.DiscussionThis study has the potential to improve HIV health and promote HIV prevention among a hard to reach, at-risk, and highly mobile population of men in Western Kenya—a critical population in Kenya’s HIV prevention and treatment program. Further, if successful, this innovative social networks-based model could be scaled at the regional level to address HIV prevention and care among similarly at-risk populations of men in eastern Africa and inland fisheries settings across the continent.Trial registrationSelf-Test Strategies and Linkage Incentives to Improve ART and PrEP Uptake in Men, registered on February 26, 2021, registration #NCT04772469.

Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking Behavior among University College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study from Denmark.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the concomitant infodemic have emphasized the importance of digital health literacy (DHL) to global public health research and practice. The aim of this study was to examine information-seeking behavior, the ability to find, understand and deal with health information among university college students in Denmark and/in addition we wanted to examine the impact of their close social network on students’ ability to find and understand health information. This research was carried out as part of the COVID-HL university student survey by using a uniform questionnaire consisting of elaborated scales. Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey conducted at University College South during 4 weeks in April and May 2020. To capture DHL, four subscales of the DHL instrument were adapted to the pandemic context. A total of 59.9% of the students have sufficient DHL—most students find it rather easy to find information and are satisfied with the information they find on the internet. However, some (28.1%) students find it difficult to judge the quality and reliability of the information. Students with a sufficient level of DHL are more likely to seek information through search engines and websites of official institutions, while students with a limited level of DHL more often use social media for health information. Students with sufficient DHL more often share health information and less often ask for support in their network

Legitimising Surveillance in Low-Trust Postcommunist Societies

Why do citizens in democratic states allow governments to monitor them? Studies note that consent to surveillance to a large extent depends on trust in public institutions. But how is surveillance legitimised in states where this kind of trust is low, as in most of the European postcommunist countries? Using data from three former communist states, this study investigates the role of trust in close social networks. The results show that so-called ‘particular social trust’ may work as a substitute for trust in institutions. Particular social trust may produce legitimacy for policy measures, in this case, surveillance.

The Structure of Social Networks and Its Link to Higher Education Students' Socio-Emotional Loneliness During COVID-19.

Lonely students typically underperform academically. According to several studies, the COVID-19 pandemic is an important risk factor for increases in loneliness, as the contact restrictions and the switch to mainly online classes potentially burden the students. The previously familiar academic environment (campus), as well as the exchange with peers and lecturers on site, were no longer made available. In our cross-sectional study, we examine factors that could potentially counteract the development of higher education student loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic from a social network perspective. During the semester, N = 283 students from across all institutional faculties of a German comprehensive university took part in an online survey. We surveyed their social and emotional experiences of loneliness, their self-reported digital information-sharing behavior, and their current egocentric networks. Here, we distinguished between close online contacts (i.e., mainly online exchanges) and close offline contacts (i.e., mainly in-person face-to-face exchanges). In addition, we derived the interconnectedness (i.e., the densities of the egocentric networks) and heterogeneity (operationalized with the entropy) of students’ contacts. To obtain the latter, we used a novel two-step method combining t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and cluster analysis. We explored the associations of the aforementioned predictors (i.e., information-sharing behavior, number of online and offline contacts, as well as interconnectedness and heterogeneity of the close contacts network) on social and emotional loneliness separately using two hierarchical multiple linear regression models. Our results suggest that social loneliness is strongly related to digital information-sharing behavior and the network structure of close contacts. In particular, high information-sharing behavior, high number of close contacts (whether offline or online), a highly interconnected network, and a homogeneous structure of close contacts were associated with low social loneliness. Emotional loneliness, on the other hand, was mainly related to network homogeneity, in the sense that students with homogeneous close contacts networks experienced low emotional loneliness. Overall, our study highlights the central role of students’ close social network on feelings of loneliness in the context of COVID-19 restrictions. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Older Adult’s Marital Status, Support Exchanges and Psychological Well-being in Everyday Life

The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction effects of social support from family and educational contexts on technology anxiety among Korean older adults. We collected data by online recruiting in February 2021, and the sample was Korean older adults without dementia (N=310; 65-89 years old). The dependent variable was technology anxiety, which meant the expected degree of worry under the assumption that a wearable robot for exercise was used. Independent variables were four types of social support (emotional, instrumental, physical, and financial support) provided by family members, such as spouse, children, or siblings. The moderating variable was the binary educational context (high school and under=0; college level and over=1). Interaction effects were estimated by bootstrapping and PROCESS macro with four regression models about each type of social support. Results showed the interaction effect between physical support and educational context was significant on technology anxiety. Concretely, getting more physical support was significantly associated with a lower level of technology anxiety for highly educated older adults, while it was not significant for less-educated older adults. There was no additional type of social support which had not only significant interaction effects with educational context but also main effects on technology anxiety. It suggested that providing direct physical help, including daily care or assistance, could decrease feeling technology anxiety, especially not for less-educated seniors but for highly educated Korean older adults.

Resources Within: Between Resident Ties and Links to Health Among Older Subsidized Housing Residents

Increasing evidence points to the importance of non-family ties in promoting health among older adults. Less is known though about these ties within the context of subsidized housing. In this study we examine prevalence of social ties between residents and examine links to health. Data were collected through interviews conducted with 39 residents age 62 and older living in a subsidized housing community in Southeast Michigan. Residents reported knowing on average 10 (SD=6.5) other residents, and nominated three (SD=4.2) residents into their close social networks. Residents who reported getting out of the community less often and those with one or more health limitations nominated significantly more residents into their network. Also, getting out of one’s apartment more often was associated with knowing more residents in the community. Findings highlight between resident ties may serve as an important resource for those geographically restricted and may be useful to integrate into interventions.

Effects of Loneliness and Stress Management on Perceived Stress in Older Adults

According to socioemotional selectivity theory, older adults are more selective and tend to shrink their social network to their closest ties. However, a heightened need to belong, which is characterized by a stronger desire for acceptance and motivation to affiliation, may alter this common pattern. We know little about how the need to belong shapes social network structure, especially in late life. This study investigated the associations between the need to belong, size of social network, and engagement with social ties among older adults. Participants (N = 314) aged over 65 years from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study completed a baseline interview regarding their close ties (i.e., social convoy members), and weak ties, as well as a self-report measure of need to belong. They completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys reporting their social encounters every 3 hours over 5 to 6 days. Need to belong was unrelated to the number of close ties. In contrast, participants with a higher need to belong reported more less close (but still important) ties and weak ties than those with a lower need to belong, but spent a similar amount of time (i.e., proportion of EMA involving social encounters) with either their close ties or weak ties. These results suggest that the need to belong may motivate older adults to go beyond their closest ties to weaker ties, and highlight the discrepancies between the sense of being connected to social partners and the actual engagement with them in this process.

Belonging in the Online World: Older Adults’ Use of Internet for Community.

Objective: To explore older Australians’ experiences of using computer-mediated communication (CMC) to engage with their social networks and communities.Background: Use of CMC among older adults has been associated with favourable social outcomes. How older adults engage with others to foster these outcomes is less well known. Understanding this may be useful when developing programs to encourage older adults’ use of CMC for social purposes.Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 adults (five women, seven men; aged 69 to 81) were conducted. Interview questions focused on individuals’ use of CMC to engage with online communities. Data were transcribed and thematically analysed.Results: Two overarching themes relating to a sense of Belonging and Support emerged. Belonging was most heavily emphasised, and included subthemes on how participants experienced their close social networks online, as well as their broader engagement with building interests and identity. Support arose to a lesser extent, and included subthemes relating to how CMC was used not only for the provision and receipt of such, but also to signal availability or need for support. Throughout, participants consistently weighed the benefits of CMC against the disadvantages.Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of social networks and online communities for older adults and, in particular, how CMC facilitates feelings of belongingness and provides opportunities for reciprocal instrumental, emotional, and informational support. Future research needs to consider the importance of having a sense of belonging when describing the social functioning of digitally literate older adults.

Relational Turbulence and Openness to Social Network Support for Marital Conflicts

This paper examines associations between relational turbulence, whether people talk about marital conflicts with their close social network members, and defensive processing of hypothetical support messages. Married adults (N = 479) identified a disagreement within their marriage and indicated whether they discussed the disagreement with a social network member. Those who did (n = 292), evaluated a hypothetical support message and completed measures assessing defensive processing. Relational turbulence was not significantly associated with disclosure about marital conflicts, but it was positively associated with counterarguing, source derogation, and negative affect, which in turn, were negatively associated with evaluations of support quality.

Close Social Networks Among Older Adults: The Online and Offline Perspectives

Qualitative studies have found that the use of Information and Communication Technologies is related to an enhanced quality of life for older adults, as these technologies might act as a medium to access social capital regardless of geographical distance. In order to quantitatively study the association between older people’s characteristics and the likelihood of having a network of close friends offline and online, we use data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and data from Facebook. Using a novel approach to analyze aggregated and anonymous Facebook data within a regression framework, we show that the associations between having close friends and age, sex, and being a parent are the same offline and online. Migrants who use internet are less likely to have close friends offline, but migrants who are Facebook users are more likely to have close friends online, suggesting that digital relationships may compensate for the potential lack of offline close friendships among older migrants.