Social network methods and global health

Social network research focuses on interpersonal relationships within communities. These relationships have a strong influence on global health improvement endeavors, with the power to foster or hinder efforts. The recent SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic made many familiar with the idea of contagion networks where the virus spreads from person to person via social contact. Social network analysis first established the sexual contact transmission mode of the unknown infective agent, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, by tracing contacts from “Patient Zero” in the 1980s. More recently, molecular techniques to identify variants of pathogens have allowed more effective disease control measures. Social network analysis has also uncovered social contagion networks where people with noninfectious conditions such as obesity, can be seen to “spread” the condition via socialties. Interventions can harness the power of these network processes. Social support networks have long been known to beneficially affect health outcomes (e.g., good social networks protecting against all-cause mortality). Interventions that build on community “social capital” are, therefore, promising. Social network analysis can also be useful in assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of health services, for example, referral, advice-seeking, and collaboration networks. Finding where patients fall between the cracks and get lost in a referral system can allow targeted interventions to provide safety nets. Strategic network building among groups of clinicians can enhance the translation of research into practice and support isolated professionals. Increasingly complex and sophisticated approaches to social network research are allowing social influences, processes, and structures to be leveraged for global health issues.