Social network effects on health : a multilayered approach

Includes bibliographical referencesBackground: Previous research suggests that both network contagion and connection contribute to social network effects. Interventions that integrate network-based approaches may be the most effective. Objective: This dissertation aims to test network effects on two diverse outcomes in two diverse settings: substance abuse within high schools in the United States, and latrine ownership within villages in Southern India. Methods: We analyzed data from two separate datasets. For Chapter 2 we used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative multi-wave study that includes full social network data on adolescents in the United States. We examined the effect of friends' parents' authoritative parenting on substance abuse outcomes in adolescents. For Chapters 3 and 4 we used data from the Social Networks and Microfinance Study to test social network predictors of individual latrine ownership in rural South India. In Chapter 3 we examined the correlation between direct social contact latrine ownership and individual latrine ownership. We also explored interactions of social contact latrine ownership with individual network position and demographic characteristics. In chapter 4 we compared the effects of social network latrine ownership proportions on individuals' latrine ownership at three levels: that of their direct social contacts, their network communities, and their villages. Results: In Chapter 2, adolescents whose friends' parents were authoritative were significantly less likely to abuse substances, and this effect was only partially mediated through friends' substance abuse. In Chapter 3, the latrine ownership of individuals was significantly correlated with that of their direct social contacts. Furthermore, those more central to the network were more likely to own latrines although the direct effect of the latrine ownership of social contacts was also smallest for this group. In Chapter 4, while both the latrine ownership proportions of direct social contacts and of those within the village significantly predicted individual latrine ownership, the effect of the network community was the strongest. Discussion: The results of this body of work provide support for incorporating network strategies into health behavior interventions, while highlighting some novel approaches beyond what has been traditionally use