Using Social Networks to Improve Oral Health

 描述（由申请人提供）：公共住房开发（PHD）居民通常缺乏保持良好口腔健康所需的资源和信息。生活在PHDs的儿童口腔健康差异的风险增加，因为社会条件被认为阻碍了有用和可操作的健康信息的流动，并破坏了模范的健康行为实践。目前的口腔健康研究工具不足以准确地描述PHD居民的互动，并了解如何有效地利用照顾者的社会关系，以改善他们的孩子的口腔健康。到目前为止，差异研究没有充分考虑到异质性的因素相互作用的影响网络，也不允许实际测量。网络科学非常适合研究复杂系统。社交网络被认为是表征系统内交互的关键链接机制。我们将使用网络科学的方法来设计和实施网络干预，创新理论的扩散为指导。干预措施将侧重于博士生居民之间的互动，以及影响健康状况的更近端途径的网络内部和网络之间的上游影响。我们提议的多层次干预旨在产生个人、网络和社区各级的成果。我们的中心假设是，通过社交网络控制传播针对健康行为变化的信息，将加速知识的吸收，支持采取积极的行为改变，并改善护理人员及其幼儿的口腔健康状况。在形成UH 2阶段，一个多学科的研究小组将确定和表征PHD成员网络的结构特性，这些网络塑造了健康信息、资源和支持的流动。我们将依靠基于社区的参与性研究，最大限度地利用我们与社区合作伙伴建立的长期联系。在UH 3阶段，我们将进行干预，以确定是否以及如何使用网络来促进和加速健康行为的改变。我们将针对1-5岁儿童的照顾者，进行18-24个月的随访，以确定网络激活的有效性，通过传播信息来获得健康饮食选择方面的知识和促进行为改变，特别是减少含糖饮料的消费。该研究计划代表了对当前科学状态的重大方法学改进，因为它解决了口腔健康差异的复杂系统性质。它将通过更好地表征行为，社会互动（包括与卫生系统的互动）和社区功能相关的信息PHD居民利用，使意义上的口腔健康差异的理解，并采取行动，他们的健康。在其他领域，类似的网络科学方法已经表明，行为改变的可持续性超过了个性化的努力。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Public housing development (PHD) residents typically lack the resources and information necessary to maintain good oral health. Children living in PHDs are at increased risk for oral health disparities as the social conditions are thought to hinder the flow of useful and actionable health information, and undermine exemplary health behavior practices. Current oral health research tools are insufficient to accurately characterize PHD resident interactions and to understand how the social relationships of caregivers may be effectively leveraged to improve their children's oral health. To date, disparities research has no adequately accounted for the heterogeneity of factors interacting in a web of influences nor permitted practical measurement of them. Network Science is ideally suited for investigating complex systems. Social networks have been conceived as key linking mechanisms characterizing interactions within a system. We will use Network Science methods to design and implement a network intervention, guided by the diffusion of innovations theory. The intervention will focus on both interactions between residents of PHDs, and the upstream influences operating within and among networks that affect more proximal pathways to health status. Our proposed multi-level intervention is aimed at producing individual, network and community-level outcomes. Our central hypothesis is that controlled dissemination of information targeting changes in health behaviors through social networks will accelerate the uptake of knowledge, support the adoption of positive behavior change, and improve oral health status of caregivers and their young children. During the formative UH2 phase, a multidisciplinary team of investigators will identify and characterize the structural properties of PHD members' networks that shape the flow of health information, resources and support. We will rely on community-based participatory research to maximally leverage our established, long-term links with community partners. In the UH3 phase, we will conduct an intervention to determine whether and how networks may be used to promote and accelerate health behavior changes. We will target caregivers of children ages 1-5 years, with 18-24 months' follow-up to ascertain the effectiveness of network activation through disseminated messages to acquiring knowledge and promoting behavior change with respect to healthy dietary choices, particularly reductions in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. The research plan represents a major methodological improvement to the current state of the science as it addresses the complex systems' nature of oral health disparities. It will enhance our understanding of oral health disparities through bette characterization of the behaviors, social interactions (including interactions with health systems) and community features related to the information PHD residents utilize to make sense of, and act on, their health. Similar Network Science approaches in other fields have shown increased sustainability of behavior change over and above that of individualized efforts.