Interorganizational Networks in Physical Activity Promotion: A Systematic Review

Irina Timm, Simone Rapp, Christian Jeuter, Philip Bachert, Markus Reichert, Alexander Woll and Hagen Wäsche
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Irina Timm: Mental mHealth Lab, Chair of Applied Psychology, Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Simone Rapp: Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Christian Jeuter: Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Philip Bachert: Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Markus Reichert: Mental mHealth Lab, Chair of Applied Psychology, Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Alexander Woll: Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Hagen Wäsche: Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: Public health challenges such as physical inactivity are multiplex and cannot be effectively addressed by single organizations or sectors. For this reason, public health policies have to involve various sectors and foster partnerships among organizations. Social network analysis (SNA) provides a methodological toolkit that enables the investigation of relationships between organizations to reveal information about the structure and cooperation within networks. This systematic review provides an overview of studies utilizing SNA to analyze the structure of networks that promote physical activity, including the structural set-up, types, and conditions of cooperation, the existence or absence of key actors, the characteristics of organizations working together, and potential barriers limiting collaboration. In total, eight eligible studies were identified. To evaluate the quality of these studies, a quality assessment tool for SNA was created. Relevant aspects from each study were systematically outlined using a data extraction template developed for network studies. The studies reported low to moderate density scores with many ties not being realized. Organizations tend to work side by side than as real partners, whereas organizations of the same type are more strongly connected. Most of the studies identified governmental health organizations as key players in their networks. Network maturity influences network outcomes. Shared goals and geographic proximity are potential facilitators for network development. For future research, more sophisticated methods and longitudinal studies are required to describe how networks, with the aim of promoting physical activity, develop and change to identify predicting factors for an effective network structure.

Keywords: social network analysis; physical activity; health promotion; public health; community networks; exercise (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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