People's social connections play a critical role in determining whether they adopt preventative health measures that could help to reduce the spread of diseases such as malaria, a new study reveals.
Researchers focused on malaria prevention in 10 villages in rural India - looking at how different factors influence people's use of preventative measures like bed nets, insect repellent and protective clothing.
The scientists discovered that exposure to similar behaviours within a person's social network is the most significant factor in predicting individual prevention behaviours. Furthermore, their study highlighted the indirect influence of households as crucial contexts for social ties.
Publishing their findings in Scientific Reports, researchers from the Universities of Birmingham and Manchester, the Indian Institute of Public Health Shillong, New York University, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health outline a novel framework to understand how social factors influence disease prevention.
Co-author Dr. András Vörös, from the University of Birmingham, commented: "Social networks can either help or hinder disease prevention efforts that rely on a combination of behaviours. For example, if your friends and family use insect repellents, you are much more likely to use them yourself.
"This suggests that health behaviours are heavily influenced by our social connections and are not just the outcome of individual choices. By understanding how social networks influence behaviour, we can develop more effective public health interventions."
The study involved detailed interviews with over 1,500 adults in the Meghalaya state of Northeast India, gathering information about their health practices and social networks to help develop a new assessment framework that combines social network analysis with research on multiple health behaviour change.
While the research focused on malaria in India, the implications extend to various diseases and populations globally – the approach provides a valuable framework for developing more effective public health strategies around the world to help prevent infectious and non-communicable diseases.
Households are critical for shaping health-related discussions – the researchers note that people tend to discuss health matters with those within their own household, which means that the information and practices shared at home have a large impact.
Individual characteristics like age, gender or education - as well as advice from health experts - appear to have a much smaller direct influence on whether people adopted preventative measures.
"We found that people do not necessarily adopt prevention behaviours in bundles, but rather tend to simply adopt ones which are common among the people they talk to," explained Dr Vörös. "Exposure to preventative behaviours within someone's social network is the main factor influencing whether they adopt those same behaviours.
"In other words, if your friends and family use insect repellents, you are much more likely to use them yourself. This suggests that health behaviours are heavily influenced by our social connections and are not just the outcome of individual choices."
The researchers say that instead of focusing solely on individuals, public health programmes should recognise and utilise the power of group influence - for instance, public health campaigns could focus on educating and supporting community leaders and influential people who can then act as a channel to promote health behaviours among their social circles.
They also highlight the importance of household level interventions - this means targeting entire families, rather than individuals, which could result in more effective prevention strategies.
