Developing and applying innovative methodologies of longitudinal network data and agent-based modelling to public health

每个人都嵌入了一个由朋友、同事和家人组成的社交网络中。我们周围的人可以影响我们的思想和我们在生活中做出的选择，甚至影响我们的健康和幸福。这项研究调查了学校环境中的社交网络对青少年冒险行为的影响，方法是观察青少年自我报告的饮酒、吸烟和吸毒水平，以及年轻人所处的不断演变的社交网络。友谊可以影响青少年的健康行为，但这是因为同伴的选择(就像与同类的联系)还是同伴的影响(采用同伴的行为)？这项研究的目的是进一步探索这些想法，并调查学校环境、友谊的性别隔离以及关键的个人或父母属性可能如何影响同伴网络和影响大小或？机制。网络对物质使用行为的影响。这项研究将使用一些不同的研究方法，包括纵向网络分析和基于主体的建模，以更清楚地了解社会网络对药物滥用的影响，并加强公共卫生干预。

Everyone is embedded within a social network of friends, work colleagues and family. The people who we are surrounded by can influence our thoughts and choices we make in life, and indeed our health and well-being. This study investigates the effect that the social networks within a school environment have on adolescent risk-taking behaviours by looking at the self-reported levels of alcohol, tobacco and drug use as well as the evolving social networks the young people are embedded in. Friendships can influence adolescent health behaviours, but are these due to peer selection (like associates with like) or peer influence (adoption of peer behaviours)? The aim of this study is to explore further these ideas and investigate how the school environment, gender segregation of friendships, and key personal or parental attributes, might influence the peer network and affect the magnitude or ?mechanisms? of the network effects on substance use behaviour. This study will use a number of different research methods including longitudinal network analysis and agent-based modelling to provide a clearer understanding about the effects of social networks on substance misuse and to enhance public health interventions.