Understanding the Development, Evaluation, and Sustainability of Community Health Networks Using Social Network Analysis: A Scoping Review

Objective Identify the scope of the literature which reports use of social network analysis to inform, support, or evaluate health promotion-focused community network/partnership development. Data Source A comprehensive search (not date-limited) of PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library Database for Systematic Reviews. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Criteria for inclusion included published in the English language and used social network analysis to inform, support, or evaluate development of community networks/partnerships aiding health promotion efforts. Studies were excluded if they did not use social network analysis or were not focused upon health promotion. Data Extraction Three of the four authors extracted data using a summary chart to document information regarding study aims, target issue/population, methods, and key outcomes of the social network analysis. Data Synthesis The extracted data were qualitatively analyzed by 3 authors to categorize key social network analysis outcomes into categories. Results Ninety-seven studies representing 9 geographical regions were included, with the majority (69) published after 2010. Key outcomes included the effectiveness of social network analysis to identify network characteristics, track network change over time, compare similar networks across locations, and correlate network attributes with outcomes. Conclusion Findings support the utility of social network analysis to inform, support, and evaluate development of sustainable health promotion-focused networks/partnerships.