Social networks influence flu shot decision among college students

May 14, 2012 By Laura Kennedy in Health

Social networks influence flu shot decision among college students

Enlarge

College students' social networks influence their beliefs regarding the safety of influenza vaccines and decisions about vaccination, according to a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

The most influential people seem to be spouses, parents and friends, said study author Sean Richey, Ph.D., a at Georgia State University. “We show that a path to influencing the college students’ beliefs about vaccinations may be through their social networks,” said Richey. “So, public health officials may try to target the students’ parents with information, for example, in addition to the students themselves.”

face elevated risk for seasonal flu because they often live in close quarters where infectious disease can easily spread, noted Richey. Yet, during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, 30 percent of the surveyed students viewed the as unsafe, and only 10 percent chose to be vaccinated.

For the online survey, students were asked to identify four people with whom they discuss health matters. Students who believed their parents, spouses or friends were supportive of vaccination reported higher beliefs in vaccine safety and that they were more likely to intend to get the flu vaccine.

“Vaccine decisions [are] a behavior that we have very little data on, and we did not know that social networks would influence those decisions,” observed Thomas Valente, Ph.D., an expert on social networks at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

The study is promising, he added, because social networks and their perceived support for vaccines are “amenable to change.”

The study is based on responses from more than 1,000 undergraduates at a large public university in Georgia. Demographics of the participants closely match those of the university’s diverse student body.

Richey notes that the survey was only offered to students in an introductory political science class and thus may not be representative of students in general. Also, he said, “We cannot observe the flow of vaccine information within discussion networks,” making it hard to determine who influences who. Richey and his colleagues are planning to conduct a more detailed study later this year.

“Trials that test network manipulations to accelerate vaccine adoption are also needed,” added Valente.

More information: Brendan Nyhan, et al. (2012). The Role of Social Networks in Influenza Vaccine Attitudes and Intentions Among College Students in the Southeastern United States, Journal of Adolescent Health, doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.02.014

Provided by Health Behavior News Service search and more info website

5 /5 (1 vote)  

Rank 5 /5 (1 vote)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Life expectancy gap widens between those with mental illness and general population

The gap between life expectancy in patients with a mental illness and the general population has widened since 1985 and efforts to reduce this gap should focus on improving physical health, suggest researchers in a paper ...

Health created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Failure to use linked health records may lead to biased disease estimates

Failure to use linked electronic health records may lead to biased estimates of heart attack incidence and outcome, warn researchers in a paper published in BMJ today.

Health created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Dietary advice on added sugar is damaging our health, warns heart expert

Dietary advice on added sugar is damaging our health, warns a cardiologist in BMJ today. Dr. Aseem Malhotra believes that "not only has this advice been manipulated by the food industry for profit but it is actually a risk ...

Health created 2 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

CDC presents recent trends in health behaviors of US adults

(HealthDay)—In 2008 to 2010, the prevalence of key health behaviors among U.S. adults varied, with about one in five adults current smokers and 62.1 percent overweight or obese, according to a report presented ...

Health created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Americans still making unhealthy choices, CDC reports

(HealthDay)—The overall health of Americans isn't improving much, with about six in 10 people either overweight or obese and large numbers engaging in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, heavy drinking or ...

Health created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


If you can remember it, you can remember it wrong

(Medical Xpress)—Native peoples in regions where cameras are uncommon sometimes react with caution when their picture is taken. The fear that something must have been stolen from them to create the photo ...

B vitamins could delay dementia

(Medical Xpress)—Despite spending billions of dollars on research and development, drug companies have been unable to come up with effective treatments for dementia and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Now, A. ...

New sleeping pill poised to hit US markets

An experimental sleeping pill from US drug company Merck is effective at helping people fall and stay asleep, according to reviewers at the US Food and Drug Administration, which could soon approve the new drug.

Reducing caloric intake delays nerve cell loss

Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May ...

Antidepressant reduces stress-induced heart condition

A drug commonly used to treat depression and anxiety may improve a stress-related heart condition in people with stable coronary heart disease, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells

Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes.