Review and special article
Social Network Analysis of Childhood and Youth Physical Activity: A Systematic Review

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Context

Social network analysis has been used to better understand the influence of friends and peer groups in a wide range of health behaviors. This systematic review synthesizes findings from various social network analyses of child and adolescent physical activity, to determine the extent to which social network structure is associated with physical activity behaviors.

Evidence acquisition

Medical and social science databases were searched and screened between September and November 2011. Eligible studies collected a measure of physical activity and a measure of an individual's social network, either through friendship nominations or social ratings, and reported analyses investigating the association between physical activity and the social network measure.

Evidence synthesis

A total of 1767 articles yielded nine publications from seven eligible studies, which were synthesized and analyzed in December 2011. Three research themes were identified: (1) friendship similarities in physical activity; (2) peer group influences on physical activity; and (3) social preference (i.e., popularity) and physical activity. Synthesis of findings across studies found strong evidence for similarities in physical activity levels between an individual and their friends and within peer groups. There was mixed evidence for an association between social preference and physical activity levels.

Conclusions

Friendship plays an important role in shaping physical activity behaviors. Physical activity interventions targeted at peer groups and that account for the influence of friendship groups might have utility as a means of increasing youth physical activity.

Section snippets

Context

Physical activity is associated with improved physical and mental health in children and adolescents1 and can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes,2 cancer,3 and cardiovascular disease4 in adulthood. By contrast, sedentary behaviors, such as TV viewing, personal computer and laptop use, and playing computer games, are associated with a higher risk of metabolic dysfunction and current and future obesity.5 Research has identified that activity levels in childhood and

Search Strategy

Seven bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, AMED, CINAHL, IBSS, and Sociological Abstracts) were searched in September 2011 using a combination of text and subject heading terms. Search strategies for each database are available on request from the review authors. Duplicates were removed, and retrieved records were screened by title and abstract against the inclusion criteria outlined below. Full-text versions of potentially eligible papers were obtained and screened for inclusion

Evidence Synthesis

Searching bibliographic databases yielded 1767 records for screening, of which 35 full-text papers were retrieved, and nine articles24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 from seven studies were included in the final review (Figure 1). Study details, with summaries of physical activity data, social network data, analytic methods, and findings are presented in Appendix A (available online at www.ajpmonline.org). All included studies examined school-based networks, with the majority of studies based

Discussion

This systematic review found strong evidence for similarities in physical activity behaviors within friendships, and among members of the same peer group. All six studies that investigated the effects of immediate friendships and wider peer groups found that ties were more likely to exist between individuals with similar physical activity behaviors. They also found that friends' physical activity was a positive predictor of an individual's physical activity.

There was mixed evidence for an

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