A growing body of knowledge has investigated the extent to which social networks have been used in facilitating community healthcare programs. According to Addy, Dawn, Wilson, Kirtland, Ainsworth, Sharpe & Kimsey (2004), social networks are groups of actors and places, which are interrelated to yield some customized outcomes.
Research suggests that social networks have been regarded as a group of individuals who struggle to keep their social identity, receive emotional support, and social identity. The concept of social networking continues to receive a lot of focus in the health sector. The efficacy of social networks has been investigated to establish the relationship between social networks and feasible healthcare programs (Addy, et al., 2004).
Relationship between social support networks in a community and the community’s health
While networks help in creating identity, studies show that they provide support for disease management. Some studies have suggested that networks help participants to develop behaviors that influence vulnerability to diseases (Addy, et al., 2004). For instance, individuals that have strong affiliations remain healthy during their old age and die after a short illness. Considerable evidence from epistemological studies indicates that healthcare support networks have a direct influence on mortality rates (Bordogna, 2012).
Numerous studies confirm that social networks can help members to withstand high-stress levels that would otherwise be potential for pathologies. In essence, social networks play a critical role in mobilizing support for health. Arguably, social networks help community-based health programs to source and disseminate learning information and provide opportunities. These factors have an obvious influence individual’s health while promoting positive behavior change.
Effective strategies for incorporating community social support networks into a public health program
Extensive research has been undertaken to explore potential strategies that support the process of incorporating social support into community health programs. The first feasible strategy refers to integrative bridges, which involve actors from differentiated populations within a community (Bordogna, 2012).
The establishment of these integrative bridges occurs out of deliberate outreach programs conducted by involved parties. This process ensures that different groups within a community are integrated into the larger segment. As a result, minorities, immigrants, and other disadvantaged groups are incorporated through referrals to increase their access to social and health services (Kaplan & Kaplan, 2003).
Leveraging
Today, many populations are left out of social connections based on their social class. Leveraging enhances a vertical connection of people differentiated by class, which enables individuals of lower classes to link up with their counterparts. The result of this strategy gives access to opportunities, resources that fall outside their context.
Studies show that leveraging promotes the integration of low-income and disadvantaged groups to yield heterogeneity. This enables individuals sharing different characteristics to gain access to healthcare support programs without undue discrimination to create a balance (Valente et al., 2003).
Empowerment
A state of powerlessness influences both income and health inequalities across populations. Therefore, the empowerment of individuals and socially-interconnected groups increases support and generates opportunity structures (DuBois & Silverthorn, 2005). Evidence gathered from various studies suggests that self-efficacy enables people to set goals and establish priorities. Therefore, when individuals’ self-efficacy is maintained through empowerment, individuals and groups can ascend to high platforms of behavior change. This enables healthcare support community programs to engage and facilitate the process of delivering quality healthcare.
References
Bordogna, M. T. (2012). The Role of Social Networks in Health, 2(1), 60‐67. Sociology Study.
Cheryl, L., Addy, C., Dawn K, Wilson, D. K., Kirtland, K. A., Ainsworth, B. E., Sharpe, P., & Kimsey, D. (2004). Associations of Perceived Social and Physical Environmental Supports With Physical Activity and Walking Behavior. American Journal of Public Health, 94(3).
DuBois, L., & Silverthorn, N. (2005). Natural mentoring relationships and adolescent health: Evidence from a national study. American Journal of Public Health, 95, 518-524.
Kaplan, S., & Kaplan, R. (2003). Health, supportive environments, and the reasonable person model. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 1484-1489.
Valente, T. W., Hoffman, B. R., Ritt-Olson, A., Lichtman, K., & Johnson, C. A. (2003). Adolescent health. Effects of a social-network method for group assignment strategies on peer-led tobacco prevention programs in schools. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 1837-1843.