Community Members Research Articles

The big law enforcement information exchange challenge

Aim: The paper attempts to take stock and present the most significant dilemmas and challenges of cross border criminal data and intelligence exchange between law enforcement authorities of EU Member States that can be experienced by police personnel in the field at the moment. Methodology: In addition to the relevant legislation, recommendations and best practices, the paper – based on personal experience as a police professional, supplemented by insights of the members of the EU law enforcement community – describes and illustrates the various challenges of today’s international police cooperation landscape. Findings: The EU law enforcement information exchange scene is in the midst of its transformation due to globalisation and the progressive information and communication technology advancement. The evolution of the institutionalised cross border criminal data and intelligence exchange has to keep up with the world of crime and reflect the challenges which arise from the sensitive nature of the policy area itself, where any substantial development can only be reached by innovation and capacity building of the law enforcement sector. Value: This snapshot is to give a structured overview and to draw more attention to the complexity and the controversies of the international law enforcement information exchange landscape, which policy-makers and police professionals have to face nowadays in order to successfully prevent, detect or investigate cross border criminal offences.

A bűnüldözési információcsere nagy kihívása

Aim: The paper attempts to take stock and present the most significant dilemmas and challenges of cross border criminal data and intelligence exchange between law enforcement authorities of EU Member States that can be experienced by police personnel in the field at the moment. Methodology: In addition to the relevant legislation, recommendations and best practices, the paper – based on personal experience as a police professional, supplemented by insights of the members of the EU law enforcement community – describes and illustrates the various challenges of today’s international police cooperation landscape. Findings: The EU law enforcement information exchange scene is in the midst of its transformation due to globalisation and the progressive information and communication technology advancement. The evolution of the institutionalised cross border criminal data and intelligence exchange has to keep up with the world of crime and reflect the challenges which arise from the sensitive nature of the policy area itself, where any substantial development can only be reached by innovation and capacity building of the law enforcement sector. Value: This snapshot is to give a structured overview and to draw more attention to the complexity and the controversies of the international law enforcement information exchange landscape, which policy-makers and police professionals have to face nowadays in order to successfully prevent, detect or investigate cross border criminal offences.

Expanding the roles of malaria post workers in Thailand: A qualitative study of stakeholder perspectives.

In Thailand, since the 2000s, malaria post (MP) workers have been tasked with promptly detecting and treating all malaria cases to prevent onward transmission in the communities. Expanding their roles to provide health services beyond malaria has been proposed as a strategy to sustain their activities until elimination is reached. This article examines the perspectives of stakeholders on community-based malaria care to assess prospects for expanding the role of MPs. The study incorporated in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). In forested communities and local health facilities in northeast Thailand bordering Lao PDR and Cambodia, where malaria transmission is low, IDIs were conducted with 13 MPs and 23 community members. An additional 14 policymakers and implementers across the health sector in Thailand were interviewed. The respondents highlighted how in these border areas population groups most at risk of malaria, namely forest goers and migrants, are reluctant to visit public health facilities. In these areas, MP workers are well integrated in their communities and remain relevant although the communities no longer see malaria as spriority. Common conditions such as dengue, diabetes, insect bites, diarrhea, mental illness and substance abuse, were identified as local health concerns needing potential add-on services from MP workers. Although challenges in terms of training, supervision, and financing were raised, opportunities included additional funds from local administrative offices to maintain and integrate malaria activities with other health programmes. Changes to the roles of MPs should be adapted to changing local needs, some of which were identified in this study, should avoid duplication and potential tensions with other local health programmes, and need to build on the capacity of the community and primary care system. These enabling factors are worthy of consideration by any malaria programmes looking into maintaining their village malaria workers in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

Health Literacy in Preventing and Controlling Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Among Village Health Volunteer, Pattani Province, Thailand

Background: Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a mosquito-borne viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV). The situation of the DHF prevalence rate was still high in the community. One reason for this high rate involves community members, who had less participated in the prevention and control measures of DHF. Objectives: This descriptive study aimed to study factors associated with preventing and controlling DHF among village health volunteer, Pattani Province. Methods: Population consisted of 6,841 village health volunteers registered in Pattani Province, Thailand, in fiscal year 2020, and the sample size was calculated using Daniel formula for 215 cases, and systematic random sampling was carried out for collecting data. Data were collected by questionnaires composed of 3 parts, including characteristics, health literacy factors, and preventing and controlling DHF. In addition to check questionnaire standardization, validity was checked by three experts and try out testing reliability by Cronbach’s coefficient alpha about 0.87. Data were analysed using statistical as Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis. Results: The analysis found that health literacy factors were associated with preventing and controlling DHF among village health volunteer, Pattani Province such as access skill (r=0.310, p-value<0.001) communication skill (r=0.201, p-value=0.003) media literacy skill (r=0.386, p-value<0.001) decision skill (r=0.349, p-value<0.001) self-management skill (r=0.480, p-value<0.001), respectively. Conversely, cognitive skill had no association (r=0.117, p-value=0.086). Conclusion: The finding showed that health literacy of village health volunteer was associated with the preventing and controlling DHF. Therefore, health workers should encourage the village health volunteers to participate in sustainable prevention and control of DHF.

Controlled Burn: Managing the "Forest Fire" of Leaving a Professional Identity in Medical Education.

Professional identity formation is central to physicians' identity over their full careers. There is little guidance within military service on how to leave careers as clinician educator faculty in graduate medical education programs. The objective of our study was to explore how leaving this community of practice (COP) affects a clinician educator's professional identity. We used reflexive thematic analysis with Communities of Practice as a sensitizing construct. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted among active-duty clinician educators at the point of their retirement from the military. Interview questions focused participants' lived experiences as clinician educators and professional identity changes leading to and resulting from the decision to retire. We found the clinician educators' journey through a time of professional transition led to three connected themes: Loss Precedes Growth, Fallow Season-Liminal Space, and New Growth. The experiences of military clinician educators retiring from active duty demonstrate how leaving one COP emanates across a range of professional identities. In addition, the decision to leave a professional COP can lead to a sense of disloyalty to that community. Normalizing this transition in a way that honors the community's values offers the opportunity to enable the decision to retire. Understanding retirement as a process that first involves identity loss, followed by the discomfort of a liminal space before achieving new growth creates the opportunity to engage in rituals that celebrate the service of departing community members, releasing them to grow into new identities.

Faith-based Community Engagement in HIV-Testing and Awareness of HIV Status in Southern, Rural, African American Communities.

The Deep South is the epicenter of the HIV-epidemic in the United States, with rural AAs bearing the greatest burden. Traditional efforts to improve testing efforts have been largely unsuccessful due to their failure to recognize and leverage the sociopolitical and cultural factors that affect the uptake of HIV-screening interventions at the community level. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the socio-cultural contexts impacting HIV-testing in the rural South, and to assess strategies to increase testing in rural, Southern communities. Focus groups (n = 8) and semi-structured interviews (n = 31) were conducted among community and faith-based leaders in Alabama and Mississippi, to inform our understanding of local perceptions of HIV infection, barriers and facilitators impacting HIV-testing, and best strategies for improving testing efforts at the local level. Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed to extract major themes. While both faith-based and community leaders reported at least some stigmatizing attitudes towards HIV infection, faith-based leaders were more likely to report discomfort being around someone with HIV and were more likely to link the spread of HIV to immoral behaviors. The combination of the cultural importance of the Church, deep-seated religiosity among community members, and faith-based messages associating HIV infection with immorality directly impacted HIV stigma within the community-in turn, decreasing willingness to participate in HIV-testing, disclose positive HIV serostatus, or openly discuss transmission protection behaviors. The Church was identified as crucial to include to improve HIV-testing efforts in the rural South, due to their prominent sociopolitical roles within communities and ability to influence community members' perceptions of HIV stigma. Faith-based leaderships should be included in initiatives to increase improve HIV-testing and awareness of status and reduce HIV disparities in the Deep South.

Drivers of Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Brand Communities: Self-Determination Perspective

ABSTRACT The prevalence of virtual brand communities and the knowledge sharing occurring throughout these populations has become a staple of both business and consumer online realities. Expanding work on personal motivations, and guided by self-determination theory, this research explores autonomous and relatedness motivations that drive individual knowledge sharing within online communities. The authors argue that such knowledge sharing can be fostered by many drivers, including self-presentation factors, brand community engagement elements, user attitude toward the brand, user reputation, size of community network, and reciprocity from other community members. Analysis was conducted using data collected longitudinally from 2866 club members of Xiaomi’s online MI User Interface community in China. Results reveal that personal signature, post length, online time, login frequency, brand attitude, reputation, online social network, and reciprocity all positively affect individual knowledge sharing within the virtual brand community, while the use of picture posts may have adverse effects and impact knowledge sharing negatively.

Factors Influencing Juvenile Recidivism at Narathiwat Province's Observation and Protection Center

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute to juvenile recidivism at Narathiwat Province's Observation and Protection Centre. The data used are secondary data gathered from the risks and needs assessment from the Juvenile Observation and Protection Centre of Narathiwat province, which was recorded between 2017 and 2021. There are 843 offenses committed by juveniles, and this study compares juvenile recidivism to juvenile non-recidivism. The multiple logistic regression model was applied, and the results showed that the overall proportion of juvenile recidivism is approximately 13.45%. Factors associated with juvenile recidivism include the year of the offence, the month, location, type of litigation, substance abuse history, theft history, and whether the individual has ever run away from home. The model indicates that the juvenile recidivism rate was higher than the overall proportion in 2021, especially during July, August, and September. Additionally, juveniles from rural areas, those who have ever used substances, committed theft, or run away from home are more likely to recidivism. According to the study's findings, to effectively address the issue of juvenile recidivism in Narathiwat Province, organizations and institutions in the community, families and guardians, law enforcement and related legal agencies as well as community members, should collaborate to solve the problem at various levels, focusing on each individual and receiving support from the Observation and Protection Center.

EMPOWERING WARD CITIZEN FORUMS FOR LOCAL SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION IN NEPAL

The Local Governance and Community Development Program (LGCD) has been found to be adopted a transformational approach to social mobilization, aiming to address the absence of elected political representatives at the community level. Central to this approach has been identified as the Community Ward Citizen Forum (WCF) and the Awareness Centre (CAC), which play crucial roles in enhancing local governance through community engagement.The WCF has been explored to serve as a collective of community representatives’ tasks with bridging the gap between the community and local decision-making processes, thereby improving local governance. Complementing this, it has been focused that the CAC operates on a REFLECT process basis, bringing together marginalized and vulnerable community members weekly to discuss pertinent issues affecting their lives. Through facilitated discussions, participants have been found to identify key issues, devise actionable plans to address these concerns, and establish links with local service providers and Village Development Committees (VDCs) to mobilize necessary resources.Numerous studies and evaluations have been found to have highlighted the effectiveness of WCFs and CACs in initiating community transformation. The research has aimed to underscore the significance of community-based organizations in driving social transformation. It has been known that it provides an analytical overview of the initial successes achieved by WCFs and CACs in fostering social change, explores strategies to expand these successes across broader contexts, and identifies essential prerequisites for the sustained success of the transformational approach to social mobilization. It has been identified that Empowering Ward Citizen Forums (WCFs) for local social transformation involves various approaches aimed at enhancing community participation, decision-making, and overall impact. They have been presented pointwise as the findings of the research. the different approaches have been explored like capacity building, inclusive participation, access to information, collaborative partnerships, supportive policy environment, monitoring and evaluation, sustainable community projects, civic education and awareness, conflict resolution mechanisms, and celebrating successes and learning from challenges have been explored as the best approaches for the empowering the ward citizen forums.It has also been found that Empowering Ward Citizen Forums (WCFs) for local social transformation involves a strategic and inclusive approach that engages community members in meaningful ways. The strategies like establishing clear objectives, inclusive participation, capacity building, access to information, supportive environment, partnerships and collaboration, community-driven initiatives, policy advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, communication and outreach and celebrating successes have been found to be employed. By implementing these strategies, WCFs can effectively empower local communities, drive social transformation, and create positive changes that enhance quality of life and well-being for residents. Each step contributes to building a resilient and engaged community that works together towards common goals and shared aspirations.

When Participants Embody the Answer: A Narrative Case Study of Community Leadership

<i>Community leadership has been studied for decades, yet more still needs to be understood about its development among members of an area. While scholars can investigate phenomena from various methodologies and disciplines, there are other methodologies that can help researchers delve deeper into understanding a concept such as this. Narrative case study research with an emphasis on counter-narratives and embodiment is one way to understand community leadership. Through this single holistic narrative case study, I examined how community leadership developed in a low-income and segregated community. The findings of this study focus on four main areas: (1) care work with subthemes such as community leadership among church members and community members, (2) entrepreneurship, and (3) embodiment of the counter-narrative. The insights from this article serve as a way for scholars to identify the emergence of counter-narratives, as well as ways in which counter-narratives can help others learn about community leadership.</i>

“Stuck in, Can’t Come Out”: Physical Distancing and YouTube Spaces for LGBTQ Adolescents’ Wellbeing

The pandemic has led to physical distancing measures put in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19, leading schools and community centers to close their physical locations. For many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals living with their family, their home can be considered harmful and unsupportive due to their family’s rejection towards LGBTQ identity. LGBTQ YouTubers can be a unique avenue to understand how they can use their social media presence to act as an online supportive system that parallel traditional offline supportive systems during the pandemic where offline supportive spaces are limited. The purpose of the study is to analyze online video platforms (ie. YouTube) and whether LGBTQ YouTubers can act as support systems for their LGBTQ community during the pandemic through video content creation. Four LGBTQ YouTubers that have created videos related to the COVID-19 outbreak were chosen and their video comments (NVideo1 = 147; NVideo2 = 195; NVideo3 = 238; NVideo4 = 79) were analyzed through content analysis. Results revealed the following categories: 1) Community support and engagement between the community and the YouTuber, 2) diverse coping strategies as a result of COVID-19, 3) community’s emotional experiences surrounding COVID-19, 4) community members’ use of diverse support types, 5) YouTuber authenticity and relatability to community, and 6) intersectional identity (e.g., disability, ethnicity) experiences. Emerging themes suggest LGBTQ YouTubers can be informal online social support systems that can parallel the physical connections and support lost due to COVID-19.

MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION AND THE LEARNING ASSESSMENT PROCESS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

This study analyzed the influence of parental and/or guardian involvement on the academic performance of 3rd-grade students at the Municipal School Santa Luzia in Cajazeiras, Macaíba. The specific objectives included understanding parents’ and/or guardians’ perceptions of their role in the educational process, exploring their participation in students’ learning, identifying factors that affected their effective participation, and proposing strategies to encourage greater involvement of these responsible parties in the school. A qualitative case study methodology was adopted, utilizing semi-structured interviews, analysis of official documents, and a literature review. The sample consisted of 24 3rd-grade students, 2 teachers, 2 administrators, and 10 parents and/or guardians. The results revealed a significant relationship between parental support and students’ academic performance. Students who received more support or supervision from their parents or guardians performed better academically. The study emphasizes the importance of active parental and/or guardian involvement in students’ school life, not only in terms of financial and material support but also in interaction with teachers and other members of the school community. A notable aspect of the research was the formative/summative assessment conducted with parents present in the classroom. The results of this assessment, not disclosed to the students and their families, were quite revealing: when parents were present, students’ correct responses ranged from 95% to 100%, while in the absence of parents, correct responses ranged from 20% to 50%. This result highlights the significant influence that parental participation can have on students’ academic success.

Improving health behaviours and attitudes around podoconiosis in Northern Western Ethiopia: Implementation and intervention effectiveness.

Assessing how interventions are implemented is essential to understanding why interventions may or may not achieve their intended outcomes. There is little evidence about how interventions against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are being implemented. Guided by the Context and Implementation of Complex Intervention (CICI) framework, we evaluated an ongoing intervention against the NTD podoconiosis to examine the implementation process and its effectiveness in terms of improving shoe wearing practices, increasing knowledge and reducing stigmatizing attitudes towards podoconiosis in rural Ethiopia. We employed an exploratory mixed methods approach, qualitative followed by quantitative, between April and July 2022 to assess implementation agents, theory, strategy, process and outcomes of the intervention. We conducted document analysis, observations, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and key informant interviews for the qualitative phase. We administered a survey to 369 rural residents, of whom 42 were affected by podoconiosis. The implementers utilized government healthcare centers in a bid to mainstream podoconiosis services within local healthcare structures. The implementers provided training for health professionals and the public and distributed supplies to patients over a three-month period. The intervention reached 62% of patients, but female patients were less likely to participate than male patients. Only 18% of community members had participated in health education campaigns linked to the intervention. Involvement in the intervention resulted in improved shoe wearing practice and holding fewer stigmatizing attitudes. However, internalized stigma among patients was still rife; and the plan to utilize community assets to extend the intervention activities was not effective. Implementers must monitor the fidelity and progression of programs on a constant basis to make corrections. They also need to expand health education, provide psychosocial support and design economic empowerment programs for patients to reduce stigma. They must also collaborate with policy makers and international partners to sustain program activities at intervention delivery points.

Social Determinants of COVID-19 Pandemic Control: Participatory Learnings From Everyday Experiences in Cape Town, South Africa.

As countries adapted their disaster responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa responded with an alert-level risk approach based on epidemiological principles that impacted all societal levels. We explored the everyday experiences of people in Cape Town whose basic needs were met and who could report on the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic control. Gaining insight into their perspectives contributes to knowledge that can inform policies and practices for managing future public health crises. Community-Based Participatory Research principles guided the design and a series of facilitated dialogues with 18 research participants. The thematic analysis was deepened through two colloquiums with members of an overarching research consortium and a participant reflection workshop. The pandemic impacted individuals, their interpersonal relationships, workplaces and communities, leading to societal processes such as stigma, virtue signalling and the subversion of mandates. The public health response had mixed reactions, with useful information about preventive measures being diluted by COVID-19 denialism and fake news. Health and other authorities were frequently perceived as out of touch with, and unresponsive to, the everyday realities of local communities. Our study demonstrates the connectedness of people and the need to maintain and re-establish severed connections. A holistic approach to health care and promotion from social determinants of health and a community-engaged perspective may significantly increase the outcomes of public health responses. People with everyday experience of the COVID-19 pandemic-including community members, healthcare workers, case managers, carers and researchers-collaborated on the study design, interview schedule, data interpretation, analysis and refinement of this article.

Social Prescribing in a Japanese Community Library Shows Positive Impacts on Participants

A Review of: Morimoto, Y., Koga, Y., Kenzaka, T., & Son, D. (2023). Social prescribing initiative at community library and its impact on residents and the community: A qualitative study. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 14, https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319231181877 Objective – To determine the impacts of social prescribing in community libraries when medical and social professionals participate. Design – Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews Setting – A community library operated by medical and social support staff in Toyooka City, Japan. Subjects – 10 library participants of various ages, genders, occupations, and levels of involvement. Methods – Two of the authors in this study conducted semi-structured interviews with the users, volunteers, and staff of a community library to solicit their experiences in participating in this initiative. Using an interview guide, data was collected from study participants at the community library site or at a local college, and interviews took place in Japanese, but data was later translated to English post-transcription and analysis. This analysis was completed using the Steps for Coding and Theorization method (or SCAT) (Otani, 2008) for qualitative analysis. Main Results – The authors’ analysis of interview data revealed 11 major categories that participants spoke of the community library offering them, such as “a place to stay, attractive space design, diverse accessibility, choosability of various roles, consultation function, social support, empowerment, mutual trust, formation of connections across generations/attributes, co-creation, and social impact”. Conclusion – Embedding primary care medical providers and staff who recommend or provide social supports in community libraries can reduce barriers to access in both domains and improve the local community overall. This study has implications for all libraries that welcome users to partake in supplemental services and events. However, public libraries should take special note of this study’s findings as they could be inspired to incorporate community members, primary care providers, and social supports into their service provision.

A History of Community Based Initiatives that Led to Crop Improvement and Protection in the Canadian Prairies

From the early days of agricultural production in the 1800s through to the present day, farmers, agronomists, and other motivated people have worked to improve crop production through pest management and surveillance, selection of crop genotypes and agronomic innovations such as reduced and zero-tillage. These essential contributions also helped raise awareness of the practical problems that farmers have faced, of the potential solutions to those problems, and the problems that remain to be solved. In many cases, farmers have organized their efforts to support research to address agricultural challenges through commodity organizations who actively fund research, raise awareness of science, and encourage participation in activities such as pest monitoring and on-farm research trials. The future of a biovigilance approach to crop production depends on the continued participation of agricultural community members.

Challenges and opportunities in preserving intangible cultural heritage: lessons from the Demoscene

The Demoscene is a pioneering digital culture and an art form. Its roots in Poland date back to the mid-1980s. In 2019, the Polish Demosceners, alongside their Finnish and German counterparts in the Art of Coding campaign, embarked on an initiative to advocate for the recognition of the Demoscene by UNESCO. This move highlighted the tension between the inherently decentralised and demarcating nature of the Demoscene and formal requirements of cultural heritage preservation. In this paper, we present a brief overview of the Demoscene, combining personal observations from the UNESCO enlisting process with insights gathered from a supportive study conducted among Demoscene community members. The results of this study are presented in the context of digital preservation challenges in various domains, offering a comparative perspective. The paper concludes with some insights into what information to store alongside the Demoscene productions themselves and outlines potential further work, addressing both current and emerging challenges faced by the Demoscene community.

The Object Protected by the Criminalization of Insult to a Human Corpse in Polish Law

The insult of a human corpse is one of the oldest crimes. The guarantee of the inviolability of a human body after death, as well as the cult of the deceased are considered a precursors of religious faith. In the early periods of social development, the protection of corpses and burial sites stemmed from the prevailing religious beliefs among community members. Hence, in legal orders, it was religion, religious feelings, worship of the deceased, and others that were the main objects protected by the criminalization of insulting a corpse. To date, such a position remains popular and widely accepted. However, with the progress of civilization, more attention is beginning to be paid to the fact that the legal protection of human corpses is independent of religion. The purpose of the article is to point out the multiplicity of definitions of the object protected by the criminalization of insulting a corpse and thereby make the reader aware that both the law and the values cultivated in society are dynamic institutions. This will make lawyers aware that their activity should not only focus on passive acceptance and repetition of the established truths and values, but also prompt them to figure out new ones or to search for new justifications that are more suitable in the current reality.

Public health communication during the COVID-19 health crisis: sustainable pathways to improve health information access and reach among underserved communities

This study aims to explore the perspectives of community leaders (CL) on trusted sources of health information, examine their roles, challenges, and needs in disseminating COVID-19 health information, and identify opportunities to improve public health reach and access for underserved communities. This qualitative study included seven focus groups conducted via online video conferencing from April-June 2021. The participants (n = 9) were CL recruited from the Texas Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) for their experience working with underserved communities in Dallas, Texas. Data were coded deductively and analyzed thematically. The analysis resulted in three themes: (1) Information fatigue, mistrust, and desensitization were experienced by community members and leaders; (2) CL were expected to process, verify, and share accurate and timely COVID-19 health information; (3) CL identified potential strategies to improve COVID-19 health info access and reach. CLs were critical in addressing mis/disinformation and fostering trust in public health communication, particularly in underserved communities. They acted as vital intermediaries for health information, striving to debunk mis/disinformation and disseminate accurate health information. Public health strategies could benefit from prioritizing the integration of CL in communicating health information during crises and rebuilding trust within historically and racially marginalized and underserved communities. Supporting CLs, for example, through resources and training programs to counter misinformation and provide access to culturally and linguistically tailored health resources, may significantly enhance the access and reach of evidence-based health communication during health crises.

Social networks as facilitators and barriers to behavior change among U.S. South Asian adult participants of a culturally adapted, group lifestyle intervention

ObjectivesThis qualitative study aimed to characterize how social networks influence cardiovascular health behaviors among U.S. South Asian adults in a culturally adapted, group lifestyle intervention. MethodsA purposive sample of participants (n = 24) from the South Asian Healthy Lifestyle Intervention (SAHELI) randomized trial’s intervention arm participated in semi-structured process evaluation interviews. Specific open-ended questions were used to probe participants’ behavior changes, personal social networks, and social support for behavior change. The team transcribed interviews and identified themes using inductive and deductive coding, based on a theoretical model of social influence. ResultsAmong 24 participants (67 % female, mean age 50.5 years, 88 % foreign-born, 50 % with limited English proficiency), three themes emerged: 1) SAHELI participants and their family members provided bidirectional social support for behavior change; 2) intervention participants provided social support to one another; and 3) participants faced resistance to change from some community members. ConclusionsBehavior changes initiated during SAHELI diffused to participants’ close family members. Several social network influences varied by participant gender, English language proficiency, and network member type. Practice ImplicationsHealth professionals should ask patients about how their social networks facilitate or hinder behavior changes. Gender and cultural factors may modify how social networks influence behavior change.