Social Networks and Health

by Thomas W. Valente

Author	: Thomas W. Valente
Publisher	: Oxford University Press
Total Pages	: 442
Release	: 2010-03-25
Genre	: Medical
ISBN	: 019988529X

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Relationships and the pattern of relationships have a large and varied influence on both individual and group action. The fundamental distinction of social network analysis research is that relationships are of paramount importance in explaining behavior. Because of this, social network analysis offers many exciting tools and techniques for research and practice in a wide variety of medical and public health situations including organizational improvements, understanding risk behaviors, coordinating coalitions, and the delivery of health care services. This book provides an introduction to the major theories, methods, models, and findings of social network analysis research and application. In three sections, it presents a comprehensive overview of the topic; first in a survey of its historical and theoretical foundations, then in practical descriptions of the variety of methods currently in use, and finally in a discussion of its specific applications for behavior change in a public health context. Throughout, the text has been kept clear, concise, and comprehensible, with short mathematical formulas for some key indicators or concepts. Researchers and students alike will find it an invaluable resource for understanding and implementing social network analysis in their own practice.

Social Networks and Popular Understanding of Science and Health

by Brian G. Southwell

Author	: Brian G. Southwell
Publisher	: JHU Press
Total Pages	: 148
Release	: 2013-10-01
Genre	: Social Science
ISBN	: 1421413256

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A data-driven analysis of how different people share information about health through social media. Using social media and peer-to-peer networks to teach people about science and health may seem like an obvious strategy. Yet recent research suggests that systematic reliance on social networks may be a recipe for inequity. People are not consistently inclined to share information with others around them, and many people are constrained by factors outside of their immediate control. Ironically, the highly social nature of humankind complicates the extent to which we can live in a society united solely by electronic media. Stretching well beyond social media, this book documents disparate tendencies in the ways people learn and share information about health and science. By reviewing a wide array of existing research—ranging from a survey of New Orleans residents in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina to analysis of Twitter posts related to H1N1 to a physician-led communication campaign explaining the benefits of vaginal birth—Brian G. Southwell explains why some types of information are more likely to be shared than others and how some people never get exposed to seemingly widely available information. This book will appeal to social science students and citizens interested in the role of social networks in information diffusion and yet it also serves as a cautionary tale for communication practitioners and policymakers interested in leveraging social ties as an inexpensive method to spread information.

Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries

by National Research Council

Author	: National Research Council
Publisher	: National Academies Press
Total Pages	: 200
Release	: 2011-06-27
Genre	: Social Science
ISBN	: 0309217105

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During the last 25 years, life expectancy at age 50 in the United States has been rising, but at a slower pace than in many other high-income countries, such as Japan and Australia. This difference is particularly notable given that the United States spends more on health care than any other nation. Concerned about this divergence, the National Institute on Aging asked the National Research Council to examine evidence on its possible causes. According to Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries, the nation's history of heavy smoking is a major reason why lifespans in the United States fall short of those in many other high-income nations. Evidence suggests that current obesity levels play a substantial part as well. The book reports that lack of universal access to health care in the U.S. also has increased mortality and reduced life expectancy, though this is a less significant factor for those over age 65 because of Medicare access. For the main causes of death at older ages-cancer and cardiovascular disease-available indicators do not suggest that the U.S. health care system is failing to prevent deaths that would be averted elsewhere. In fact, cancer detection and survival appear to be better in the U.S. than in most other high-income nations, and survival rates following a heart attack also are favorable. Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries identifies many gaps in research. For instance, while lung cancer deaths are a reliable marker of the damage from smoking, no clear-cut marker exists for obesity, physical inactivity, social integration, or other risks considered in this book. Moreover, evaluation of these risk factors is based on observational studies, which-unlike randomized controlled trials-are subject to many biases.

Public Health

by James M. Shultz, PhD, MS

Author	: James M. Shultz, PhD, MS
Publisher	: Springer Publishing Company
Total Pages	: 468
Release	: 2019-10-24
Genre	: Medical
ISBN	: 0826177549

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Featuring Engaging Podcasts Highlighting Major Public Health Case Studies in all 15 Chapters! Public Health: An Introduction to the Science and Practice of Population Health is a foundational textbook designed for students who are launching their public health studies and preparing for professions in the field. Our health is generated throughout our lives and by the world around us—by where we live, where we work, and who we interact with on a daily basis. This book, therefore, takes a unique approach to teach public health. It combines an eco-social framework with a life course perspective on population health to help the student understand how our experiences and context shape our health and how this informs the practice of public health. Written by leading public health educators, the textbook begins with the foundations—a history of public health and a discussion of the core values of health equity and disease prevention. An engaging survey of the eco-social framework and life course factors affecting health follows. The book concludes with a section dedicated to population health methods, implementation science, community engagement, advocacy, and health promotion. The book is illustrated throughout by cases that cross disciplines, that engage the student with issues of contemporary concern that are the remit of public health, and that offer systematic analyses that point toward solutions. With a focused approach to public health that guides the student through the causes of health—across levels and across stages in the life course—this groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind textbook integrates the core components of the field in clear and lucid language. Timely and relevant case studies, practical learning objectives, discussion questions in all chapters, numerous tables and illustrations throughout, chapter-based podcasts, and more make Public Health an innovative and lively platform for understanding the science of population health and the practice of public health. Key Features: A modern approach to the field that grounds the study of public health in life course and eco-social frameworks to better organize the science of population health and the practice of public health Explains the central role that prevention and health equity play in improving population health Features case studies that discuss contemporary issues affecting population health, including heart disease, Ebola, environmental exposures, gun violence, the opioid epidemic, health policy, and many more High volume of figures and tables to illustrate key points Includes a robust Instructor ancillary package with PowerPoints, an Instructor’s Manual, test banks, discussion questions, and conversion guide

Social Networks and Health

by Judith A. Levy

Author	: Judith A. Levy
Publisher	: JAI Press Incorporated
Total Pages	: 376
Release	: 2002-09-03
Genre	: Medical
ISBN	: 9780762308811

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This volume is directed toward researchers and health professionals with an interest in the interstices of social networks and health. It consists of original papers that address critical themes in health-related social network research and disease prevention.

Social Networks and the Life Course

by Duane F. Alwin

Author	: Duane F. Alwin
Publisher	: Springer
Total Pages	: 487
Release	: 2018-03-06
Genre	: Social Science
ISBN	: 3319715445

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This volume engages the interface between the development of human lives and social relational networks. It focuses on the integration of two subfields of sociology/social science--the life course and social networks. Research practitioners studying social networks typically focus on social structure or social organization, ignoring the complex lives of the people in those networks. At the same time, life course researchers tend to focus on individual lives without necessarily studying the contexts of social relationships in which lives are embedded and “linked” to one another through social networks. These patterns are changing and this book creates an audience of researchers who will better integrate the two subfields. It covers the role of social networks across the life span, from childhood and adolescence, to midlife, through old age.

Young People, Social Media and Health

by Victoria Goodyear

Author	: Victoria Goodyear
Publisher	: Routledge
Total Pages	: 367
Release	: 2018-11-02
Genre	: Education
ISBN	: 1351026968

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The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.tandfebooks.com/doi/view/10.4324/9781351026987, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. The pervasiveness of social media in young people’s lives is widely acknowledged, yet there is little evidence-based understanding of the impacts of social media on young people’s health and wellbeing. Young People, Social Media and Health draws on novel research to understand, explain, and illustrate young people’s experiences of engagement with health-related social media; as well as the impacts they report on their health, wellbeing, and physical activity. Using empirical case studies, digital representations, and evidence from multi-sector and interdisciplinary stakeholders and academics, this volume identifies the opportunities and risk-related impacts of social media. Offering new theoretical insights and practical guidelines for educators, practitioners, parents/guardians, and policy makers; Young People, Social Media and Health will also appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as Sociology of Sport, Youth Sports Development, Secondary Physical Education, and Media Effects.

Information Systems in Healthcare

by Rosanna Spanò

Author	: Rosanna Spanò
Publisher	: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages	: 127
Release	: 2020-05-04
Genre	: Medical
ISBN	: 1527550087

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This book looks at the pressing issue of the contribution of information systems (IS) to the healthcare field. It examines the potential of IS to change management processes in complex organizations, before addressing more specific concerns relating to the healthcare domain. It then looks at the increasing demand for accountability and the struggle of management accounting systems in pursuing cost effectiveness and quality, in turn signalling how and why IS have the potential and power to re-shape the healthcare context. In so doing, the book offers a fresh and wholly encompassing look at the future of healthcare in the digital area, providing a base for reflection to practitioners and policymakers.

Social Networks: Analysis and Case Studies

by Şule Gündüz-Öğüdücü

Author	: Şule Gündüz-Öğüdücü
Publisher	: Springer
Total Pages	: 266
Release	: 2014-07-11
Genre	: Computers
ISBN	: 3709117976

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The present volume provides a comprehensive resource for practitioners and researchers alike-both those new to the field as well as those who already have some experience. The work covers Social Network Analysis theory and methods with a focus on current applications and case studies applied in various domains such as mobile networks, security, machine learning and health. With the increasing popularity of Web 2.0, social media has become a widely used communication platform. Parallel to this development, Social Network Analysis gained in importance as a research field, while opening up many opportunities in different application domains. Forming a bridge between theory and applications makes this work appealing to both academics and practitioners as well as graduate students.