A Social Network Approach to Understanding Community Partnerships in a Nontraditional Destination for Latinos

Abstract

Cincinnati, like other new migration areas, has recently experienced tremendous growth in the Latino immigrant population. Because greater health disparities exist for Latinos compared to both majority and other minority groups, it is essential to understand how migratory patterns and healthcare infrastructure are related. In this study, social network analysis (SNA), which quantitatively assesses and evaluates network formation and network relationships, was used to investigate the structure of the Greater Cincinnati Latino health network. Referral and collaboration networks were assessed for 29 individuals serving the Latino community. Results indicated the desired collaboration network was nearly twice as dense as either the physical or the mental health referral networks. The physical network was also denser than the mental health network. Similar results were found when analyzing network centralization. Taken together, results indicate a need for additional strategic partnerships between Latino‐serving providers and the Latino‐serving community. Specific recommendations are briefly discussed.

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

“…These included size, number of connections, cohesion (level of participation, density, and centralization), function (information sharing or referrals), and integration. 16,17,22,58-90 Eight studies identified organizations central to the network and/or network brokers (organizations serving as a bridge between other organizations) and characterized how those organizations positively contribute to network development. Another 5 studies identified and characterized sub-networks which included smaller groups of organizations within the overall network.…”

Characterising Social Integration Between Rural Migrants and Local Residents in Urban China: An Exploratory Social Network Analysis of Care Workers in Shanghai

“…The structure of a social network includes relevant components and the patterns of interactions between these components. Analysis of the components and how they interact across the network can provide insight into how they relate to the broader community context, such as healthcare systems (Eiler et al 2017). SNA can also investigate intergroup contact across social structures and explore means to promote social integration.…”

“…Fig. 11.3 (Hanneman and Riddle 2005;Eiler et al 2017). The SNA approach asserts that social life is rooted in the structure of social positions and relations between individuals.…”

“…This necessitates an analysis of the way status and positions are distributed across social networks within groups and societies(Cott 1997). The basic form of SNA includes two elements: components (nodes) and interactions (ties)(Eiler et al 2017;Wölfer and Hewstone 2017). Specifically, nodes are relevant subjects, which can include individuals or organisations, within a network, while ties are the interactions between those nodes in a social network.…”

“…Specifically, nodes are relevant subjects, which can include individuals or organisations, within a network, while ties are the interactions between those nodes in a social network. The SNA approach can be used to map and expose communication channels and information flow between individuals/groups within an organisation/network(Bae et al 2015;Sabot 2017).The application of SNA has been developed to illustrate social interactions between individuals or organisations, including organisational structure (Cross et al 2013), healthcare systems(Bae et al 2015;Eiler et al 2017), occupational mobility…”