Social Networks, Healthcare Behavior, and Health Outcomes
As part of an extensive, ongoing accountability intervention project in Utter Pradesh, India, this pilot study conducts preliminary analysis of the relationship between social networks and population health. The Uttar Pradesh Health Systems Strengthening Project (UPHSSP) collected data from 80 villages in the remote region of Uttar Pradesh. While UPHSSP focuses on the role of social networks on individual behavior in the context of collective action, this study uses the data to analyze the relationship between social networks and population health.
This analysis provides new evidence regarding the positive relationship between social connectedness, health behaviors and health outcomes. The findings also inform James Moody’s collaborative research on the relationship between changes in social network structures and health issues.