A scalable online tool for quantitative social network assessment reveals potentially modifiable social environmental risks

Amar Dhand (), Charles C. White, Catherine Johnson, Zongqi Xia and Philip L. De Jager
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Amar Dhand: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Charles C. White: Program in Medical and Population Genetics
Catherine Johnson: Columbia University Medical Center
Zongqi Xia: University of Pittsburgh
Philip L. De Jager: Program in Medical and Population Genetics

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Social networks are conduits of support, information, and health behavior flows. Existing measures of social networks used in clinical research are typically summative scales of social support or artificially truncated networks of ≤ 5 people. Here, we introduce a quantitative social network assessment tool on a secure open-source web platform, readily deployable in large-scale clinical studies. The tool maps an individual’s personal network, including specific persons, their relationships to each other, and their health habits. To demonstrate utility, we used the tool to measure the social networks of 1493 persons at risk of multiple sclerosis. We examined each person’s social network in relation to self-reported neurological disability. We found that the characteristics of persons surrounding the participant, such as negative health behaviors, were strongly associated with the individual’s functional disability. This quantitative assessment reveals the key elements of individuals’ social environments that could be targeted in clinical trials.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06408-6

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