Measuring Social Networks for Medical Research in Lower-Income Settings

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Laura Kelly, University of Pennsylvania; Shivani Patel, Emory University; Kabayam Venkat Narayan, Emory University; Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Emory University; Solveig A. Cunningham, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-08-25
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 Kelly et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0105161
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: PLoS ONE
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 8
• Start Page: e105161
• End Page: e105161
• Grant/Funding Information: This article published with support from Emory Libraries' Open Access Publishing Fund.; Kelly was supported by Award R25TW007733 from the Fogarty International Center at Emory University and by the Population Research Training Grant (NIH T32 HD007242) awarded to the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.; Cunningham's and Narayan's work on this study was supported by grant R21DK081878 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors.
• Keywords: BEHAVIORS; Science & Technology - Other Topics; HEART-DISEASE; OBESITY EPIDEMIC; Science & Technology; HEALTH; TIES; Multidisciplinary Sciences; DURKHEIM; SPREAD; MORTALITY; ADULTS; SMOKING
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, General; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

Social networks are believed to affect health-related behaviors and health. Data to examine the links between social relationships and health in low- and middle-income country settings are limited. We provide guidance for introducing an instrument to collect social network data as part of epidemiological surveys, drawing on experience in urban India. We describe development and fielding of an instrument to collect social network information relevant to health behaviors among adults participating in a large, population-based study of non-communicable diseases in Delhi, India. We discuss basic characteristics of social networks relevant to health including network size, health behaviors of network partners (i.e., network exposures), network homogeneity, network diversity, strength of ties, and multiplexity. Data on these characteristics can be collected using a short instrument of 11 items asked about up to 5 network members and 3 items about the network generally, administered in approximately 20 minutes. We found high willingness to respond to questions about social networks (97% response). Respondents identified an average of 3.8 network members, most often relatives (80% of network ties), particularly blood relationships. Ninety-one percent of respondents reported that their primary contacts for discussing health concerns were relatives. Among all listed ties, 91% of most frequent snack partners and 64% of exercise partners in the last two weeks were relatives. These results demonstrate that family relationships are the crux of social networks in some settings, including among adults in urban India. Collecting basic information about social networks can be feasibly and effectively done within ongoing epidemiological studies.