Promoting water consumption among Dutch children: an evaluation of the social network intervention Share H2O

Abstract Background There is a need to develop and improve interventions promoting healthy drinking behaviors among children. A promising method could be to stimulate peer influence within children’s social networks. In the Share H2O social network intervention (SNI), peer influence was utilized by selecting a subset of influential children and training them as ‘influence agents’ to promote water consumption—as an alternative to SSBs. Previous research has mainly focused on the process of selecting influence agents. However, the process of motivating influence agents to promote the behavior has hardly received any research attention. Therefore, in the SNI Share H2O SNI, this motivation process was emphasized and grounded in the self-determination theory (SDT). This study evaluated the implementation of the Share H2O SNI, focusing on whether and how applying SDT-based techniques can motivate the influence agents and, indirectly, their peers. Methods This study included data collected in the Netherlands from both the influence agents (n = 37) and the peers (n = 112) in the classroom networks of the influence agents. Self-reported measurements assessed the influence agents’ enjoyment of the training, duration and perceived autonomy support during the training, and changes in their intrinsic motivation and water consumption before and after the start of the intervention. Changes in the peers’ intrinsic motivation, perceived social support, and social norms were measured before and after the start of the intervention. Results The influence agents enjoyed the training, the duration was adequate, and perceived it as autonomy supportive. There was an increase in the influence agents’ intrinsic motivation to drink water and their actual water consumption. Providing personal meaningful rationales seemed to have motivated the influence agents. The intrinsic motivation and perceived descriptive norm of the peers remained stable. The peers reported an increase in their perceived social support and injunctive norm concerning water drinking after the intervention. Influence agents appeared to mainly use face-to-face strategies, such as modeling, talking to peers, and providing social support to promote the behavior. Conclusions The current findings provided preliminary evidence of the promising effects of using SDT-based techniques in an SNI to motivate the influence agents and, indirectly, their peers. Trial registration NTR, NL6905, Registered 9 January 2018, https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6905

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No Longer an Island: A Social Network Intervention Engaging Black Men Through CBPR

American Journal of Men s Health ◽

10.1177/1557988320913387 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 155798832091338

Author(s):

Amy E. Harley ◽

David Frazer ◽

Tyler Weber ◽

Terron C. Edwards ◽

Nicole Carnegie

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Network ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Black Men ◽

Peer Support ◽

Support Groups ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Community Partner ◽

Social Network Intervention ◽

Network Intervention

The aim of this study was to assess outcomes from a multilevel social network intervention to promote the health of Black men. Through a community–academic collaboration and using a participatory research approach, we implemented the intervention over 4 years in a 110-block area of an urban neighborhood. The project aimed to implement a neighborhood peer outreach and leadership network to strengthen social support of Black men and increase community and family engagement. Intervention activities included three 12-month intergenerational peer support groups ( N = 46), a door-to-door outreach campaign ( N = 186), media and communication efforts, and a community partner network. Primary outcomes for the peer support groups were measured using a pretest/posttest cohort design and included social support, perceived stress, social capital, and global self-esteem. Primary outcomes for the door-to-door outreach campaign were measured using a repeated cross-sectional design and included a sense of community, neighborhood social interaction, perceived neighborhood control, and self-rated health status. Significant findings from the peer support groups included an increase in social support overall ( p = .027), driven by improvements in guidance, reliable alliance, and reassurance of worth; and an improvement in perceived stress ( p = .047). Significant findings from the door-to-door outreach campaign included increases in neighborhood social interaction ( p < .0001) and perceived neighborhood control ( p = .036). This project provides evidence that a participatory approach to planning and delivering a health promotion intervention aimed at creating positive social spaces and enhancing social connections can result in significant outcomes and successful engagement of Black men.

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Promoting water consumption among children: a three-arm cluster randomised controlled trial testing a social network intervention

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980020004802 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Crystal R Smit ◽

Rebecca NH de Leeuw ◽

Kirsten E Bevelander ◽

William J Burk ◽

Laura Buijs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Active Control ◽

Water Consumption ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Randomised Control Trial ◽

Cluster Randomised ◽

Social Network Intervention ◽

Network Intervention ◽

Randomised Controlled

Abstract Objective: To test the effectiveness of a social network intervention (SNI) to improve children’s healthy drinking behaviours. Design: A three-arm cluster randomised control trial design was used. In the SNI, a subset of children were selected and trained as ‘influence agents’ to promote water consumption–as an alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB)–among their peers. In the active control condition, all children were simultaneously exposed to the benefits of water consumption. The control condition received no intervention. Setting: Eleven schools in the Netherlands. Participants: Four hundred and fifty-one children (Mage = 10·74, SDage = 0·97; 50·8 % girls). Results: Structural path models showed that children exposed to the SNI consumed 0·20 less SSB per day compared to those in the control condition (β = 0·25, P = 0·035). There was a trend showing that children exposed to the SNI consumed 0·17 less SSB per day than those in the active control condition (β = 0·20, P = 0·061). No differences were found between conditions for water consumption. However, the moderation effects of descriptive norms (β = –0·12, P = 0·028) and injunctive norms (β = 0·11–0·14, both P = 0·050) indicated that norms are more strongly linked to water consumption in the SNI condition compared to the active control and control conditions. Conclusions: These findings suggest that a SNI promoting healthy drinking behaviours may prevent children from consuming more SSB. Moreover, for water consumption, the prevailing social norms in the context play an important role in mitigating the effectiveness of the SNI.

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