Exploratory, cross-sectional social network study to assess the influence of social networks on the care-seeking behaviour, treatment adherence and outcomes of patients with tuberculosis in Chennai, India: a study protocol

IntroductionPoor treatment adherence and outcomes among patients with tuberculosis (TB) lead to drug resistance, and increased risk of morbidity, mortality and transmission of the disease in the community. Individual patient-level psychological and behavioural risk factors and structural-level social and health system determinants of treatment adherence and outcomes had been studied widely in India and other countries. There is an evidence gap on how care-seeking behaviour, treatment adherence and outcomes of patients with TB are influenced by their social network structure and the different support they received from social network members.Methods and analysisWe propose an exploratory, cross-sectional social network study to assess the social network structure of patients with TB in Chennai who recently completed their treatment under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program in India. We will employ egocentric personal social network survey to 380 patients with TB to generate their social network relationships and will retrospectively assess the types of support they received from different network members. Support received will be categorised as emotional support, resources support, appraisal support, informational support, spiritual support, occupational support and practical support. Social network size, composition, density, centrality and cohesion for individual patients with TB will be calculated and sociograms will be developed. Multinomial logistic regressions will be used to assess the relationship between the ‘structure of social network members’ and ‘social network supports’ and the differential treatment-seeking behaviour, treatment adherence and outcomes among patients with TB.Ethics and human protectionThe proposal was approved by the Institutional Review Board and Ethics Committee of the School of Public Health, SRM University in Kancheepuram. Confidentiality and privacy of participants will be protected. Duty of care for patients who have not completed treatment will be ensured by taking all possible measures to bring them back for treatment.

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Evolutionary dynamics modeling of symbolic social network structure equilibrium

China Communications ◽

10.23919/jcc.2020.10.017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 229-240

Author(s):

Weijin Jiang ◽

Sijian Lv ◽

Yirong Jiang ◽

Jiahui Chen ◽

Fang Ye ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Network Structure ◽

Evolutionary Dynamics ◽

Dynamics Modeling ◽

Social Network Structure

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Online Communities and Social Network Structure

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3420525 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Yanhao Wei ◽

Wensi Zhang ◽

Sha Yang ◽

Xi Chen

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Network Structure ◽

Online Communities ◽

Social Network Structure

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Prevalence and health care seeking behaviour for sexually transmitted infections among in-school adolescents in Ado-Ekiti, South-Western Nigeria

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health ◽

10.1515/ijamh-2016-0011 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Patrick T. Adegun ◽

Eyitope O. Amu

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Health Care Seeking ◽

Care Seeking ◽

Self Medication ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Stomach Pain ◽

Health Care Seeking Behaviour ◽

Care Seeking Behaviour

Abstract Background: In Nigeria, adolescents are highly vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) which have the potential of jeopardising their future reproductive lives if poorly treated. Objective: To determine the prevalence and health care seeking behaviour for STIs among secondary school adolescents in Ado, South-Western Nigeria. Subjects: Male and female adolescents aged 10–19 years. Methods: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design. A pre-tested, self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from 560 adolescents selected from public and private secondary schools in Ado Local Government Area (LGA) of Ekiti State, using a multistage sampling technique. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Analyzed data were presented in the form of tables and charts. Results: Two hundred and fifty-one (47.1%) respondents had previous symptoms of STIs. The commonest symptoms among the males were penile discharge (30.5%), painful micturition (30.5%) and stomach pain with swollen testes (25.4%). The commonest symptoms among the females were genital itching (27.6%), genital sores (14.1%) and painful micturition (13.1%). Only 26.7% sought treatment from a health facility; 37.0% did nothing; 15.9% went to patent medicine stores, 10.0% used herbs; the rest did self-medication or prayed. Conclusion: The prevalence of STI symptoms among adolescents in Ado-Ekiti is high but their health care seeking behaviour is poor. Health education about the dangers of untreated STI and the importance of seeking treatment early, targeted at adolescents, should be intensified.

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Inequality is rising where social network segregation interacts with urban topology

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-21465-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Gergő Tóth ◽

Johannes Wachs ◽

Riccardo Di Clemente ◽

Ákos Jakobi ◽

Bence Ságvári ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Social Network ◽

Network Structure ◽

Urban Geography ◽

Online Social Network ◽

Stage Model ◽

Significant Relationships ◽

Social Segregation ◽

Social Network Structure ◽

Physical Barriers

AbstractSocial networks amplify inequalities by fundamental mechanisms of social tie formation such as homophily and triadic closure. These forces sharpen social segregation, which is reflected in fragmented social network structure. Geographical impediments such as distance and physical or administrative boundaries also reinforce social segregation. Yet, less is known about the joint relationships between social network structure, urban geography, and inequality. In this paper we analyze an online social network and find that the fragmentation of social networks is significantly higher in towns in which residential neighborhoods are divided by physical barriers such as rivers and railroads. Towns in which neighborhoods are relatively distant from the center of town and amenities are spatially concentrated are also more socially segregated. Using a two-stage model, we show that these urban geography features have significant relationships with income inequality via social network fragmentation. In other words, the geographic features of a place can compound economic inequalities via social networks.

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The Social Network Structure of Alignment - A Literature Review

2011 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences ◽

10.1109/hicss.2011.434 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K Walentowitz ◽

D Beimborn ◽

A Schroiff ◽

T Weitzel

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Literature Review ◽

Network Structure ◽

Social Network Structure ◽

The Social

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Formation of raiding parties for intergroup violence is mediated by social network structure

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1610961113 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 113 (43) ◽

pp. 12114-12119 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Luke Glowacki ◽

Alexander Isakov ◽

Richard W. Wrangham ◽

Rose McDermott ◽

James H. Fowler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Network Structure ◽

Social Dynamics ◽

Small Scale ◽

East African ◽

Nomadic Pastoralists ◽

Social Network Structure ◽

The Social ◽

Total Impact ◽

Social Network Position

Intergroup violence is common among humans worldwide. To assess how within-group social dynamics contribute to risky, between-group conflict, we conducted a 3-y longitudinal study of the formation of raiding parties among the Nyangatom, a group of East African nomadic pastoralists currently engaged in small-scale warfare. We also mapped the social network structure of potential male raiders. Here, we show that the initiation of raids depends on the presence of specific leaders who tend to participate in many raids, to have more friends, and to occupy more central positions in the network. However, despite the different structural position of raid leaders, raid participants are recruited from the whole population, not just from the direct friends of leaders. An individual’s decision to participate in a raid is strongly associated with the individual’s social network position in relation to other participants. Moreover, nonleaders have a larger total impact on raid participation than leaders, despite leaders’ greater connectivity. Thus, we find that leaders matter more for raid initiation than participant mobilization. Social networks may play a role in supporting risky collective action, amplify the emergence of raiding parties, and hence facilitate intergroup violence in small-scale societies.

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