Colon-Ramos Uriyoan, Atienza Audie A, Weber Deanne, Taylor Melissa, Uy Christina, Yaroch Amy
National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7335, USA.
J Health Commun. 2009 Mar;14(2):119-30. doi: 10.1080/10810730802659111.
As a way of identifying a conduit to disseminate health information, this study aims to explore health behaviors and attitudes of a unique group of extensively socially-networked individuals who regularly are asked for their health advice. Respondents from a population-based consumer opinion panel (n = 2,639) were categorized as "extensively socially-networked" (75+ friends and acquaintances, and almost daily giving friends advice on general issues) vs. "non-networked." The networked respondents were further divided into "health-networked" (regularly asked for health advice) versus "only-socially-networked" groups (asked for general advice, not health). Chi-square analyses, ANOVA tests, and multivariate regressions controlling for sociodemographic variables compared health behaviors and attitudes between groups. Results indicated that health-networked individuals reported more positive health behaviors (e.g., fruit and vegetable consumption) and attitudes than only-socially-networked and non-networked individuals. Future research is warranted to elucidate how providing health advice to a large network contributes to the positive health of health-networked individuals. Exploratory analyses revealed that doctors and health/fitness magazines were main sources of health and nutrition information for health-networked respondents. Through their advice and word-of-mouth, health-networked individuals have the potential to influence the health information of large groups of people and, therefore, may serve as valuable change agents to disseminate health and nutrition information.
作为一种确定传播健康信息渠道的方式，本研究旨在探索一类独特人群的健康行为和态度，这类人群社交广泛，经常被他人征求健康方面的建议。以人群为基础的消费者意见调查小组中的受访者（n = 2639）被分为“社交广泛型”（有75个以上的朋友和熟人，且几乎每天都会就一般问题给朋友提供建议）和“非社交型”。社交广泛型受访者又进一步分为“健康社交型”（经常被征求健康方面的建议）和“仅社交型”（被征求一般建议，而非健康方面的建议）。通过卡方分析、方差分析以及控制社会人口统计学变量的多元回归分析，对不同组之间的健康行为和态度进行了比较。结果表明，与仅社交型和非社交型个体相比，健康社交型个体报告了更积极的健康行为（如食用水果和蔬菜）和态度。未来有必要开展研究，以阐明向大量社交人群提供健康建议如何有助于健康社交型个体的健康。探索性分析显示，医生和健康/健身杂志是健康社交型受访者获取健康和营养信息的主要来源。通过他们的建议和口碑，健康社交型个体有可能影响大量人群的健康信息，因此，他们可能成为传播健康和营养信息的重要变革推动者。
