Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
Am J Public Health. 2010 Jul;100(7):1282-9. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.165449. Epub 2010 May 13.
We evaluated the social network structure of QuitNet, one of the largest online communities for behavior change, and compared its characteristics to other known social networks.
Using modern network analysis methods, we identified QuitNet members who were active during a 60-day period, along with their ties. We then derived multiple subgroups, such as key players and integrators, from connections and communication patterns.
Among 7569 participants, we identified 103,592 connections to other members. Metrics of social network integration were associated with increased likelihood of being female, being older, having been in the system longer, and not smoking.
The QuitNet community is a large-scale social network with the characteristics required for sustainability of social support and social influence to promote smoking cessation and abstinence. These characteristics include persistence of members over time, heterogeneity of smoking status, and evidence of rich, bidirectional communications. Some of the influential subgroups we identified may provide targets for future network-level interventions.
我们评估了 QuitNet 的社交网络结构，QuitNet 是最大的行为改变在线社区之一，并将其特征与其他已知的社交网络进行了比较。
我们使用现代网络分析方法，确定了在 60 天内活跃的 QuitNet 成员及其关系。然后，我们根据连接和通信模式得出了多个子组，例如关键参与者和整合者。
在 7569 名参与者中，我们确定了与其他成员的 103592 个连接。社交网络整合的指标与女性、年龄较大、在系统中时间较长以及不吸烟的可能性增加有关。
QuitNet 社区是一个大规模的社交网络，具有可持续的社交支持和社会影响力的特征，可促进戒烟和戒除。这些特征包括成员随着时间的推移的持久性、吸烟状况的异质性以及丰富的双向交流的证据。我们确定的一些有影响力的子组可能为未来的网络层面干预提供目标。
