The overall goal of the proposed research is to demonstrate the feasibility of using social network data to operationalize socioecological constructs hypothesized to influence health promotion behaviors and perceptions of health risk. Defining such constructs will aid in designing strategies to prevent the transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The research will use a """"""""random walk"""""""" link-tracing approach to sampling large-scale urban social networks involving younger adolescents (12-15 years) who reside in settings that may place them at high risk for infection with HIV. Collaborative research will be conducted over 18 months in four culturally distinct, high-risk urban settings -- Atlanta, Honolulu, Seattle, and San Juan. Findings will help clarify the role of key structural elements of the socioecological context in which high-risk behaviors are embedded, and facilitate the design of a larger study aimed identifying socioecological factors influencing development and behavior change among minority adolescents in high-risk settings.
The specific aims of the study are: (1) To create operational measures for previously under emphasized structural elements of the socioecological context through the use of social network data collection and analysis techniques. These measures will include community cohesiveness and boundedness, institutionalized community resources, as well as density and span of social support systems; (2) To implement a link-tracing network sampling technique known as the """"""""random walk"""""""" beginning with adolescents residing in high-risk settings; and (3) To use structured interview data for a preliminary examination of associations between adolescents' personal and household backgrounds and their AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and reported sexual and drug use behaviors. Specifically, to measure the extent to which adolescents' institutional and interpersonal affiliations are with individuals who similar sexual and drug use patterns, and who share common views of HIV infection risk factors. To accomplish these aims, we will conduct surveys with approximately 200 individuals at each study site, beginning with a area probability sample of 50 adolescent respondents, and interview these people to obtain a list of those with whom social relationships of specified types are maintained. From among persons so named we will randomly select a next person to visit, and so on for four links along each random walk. Ethnographic field studies will provide important context information, support development of a reliable structured interview guide, and help evaluate its construct validity. Special will be placed on assessing the difficulty of obtaining social network data, the quality of data obtained, and the value of theses data in constructing valid and reliable measures of socioecological influences on HIV- and AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among minority adolescents residing in high-risk settings.
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| Bidwell, R J; Mueller, C W; Mann, E et al. (1996) Teen perspectives on HIV and the relevance of Hawaii's health providers. Hawaii Med J 55:205-11 |
| Mueller, C; Mann, E; Bidwell, R et al. (1995) Organizational response to adolescent HIV risk. Hawaii Med J 54:386-7, 392 |
