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Network Interventions for Changing Physical Activity Behaviour in Preadolescents.


ABSTRACT: Network interventions can help achieve behavioural change by inducing peer-pressure in the network. However, inducing peer-pressure without considering the structure of the existing social network may render the intervention ineffective or weaker. In a 7-week school-based field experiment using preadolescents' physical activity (PA) as a proxy for estimating behavioural change, we test the hypothesis that boys' and girls' distinct networks are susceptible to different social incentives. We run three different social-rewards schemes, in which classmates' rewards depend on the PA of two friends either reciprocally (directly or indirectly) or collectively. Compared to a random-rewards control, social-rewards schemes had an overall significantly positive effect on PA (51.8% increase), with females being more receptive to the direct reciprocity scheme (76.4%) and males to team (collective) rewards (131.5%). Differences in the sex-specific sub-networks can explain these findings. Network interventions adapted to the network-specific characteristics may constitute a powerful tool for behavioural change.

SUBMITTER: Proestakis A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6420114 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Network Interventions for Changing Physical Activity Behaviour in Preadolescents.

Proestakis Antonios A   di Sorrentino Eugenia Polizzi EP   Brown Helen Elizabeth HE   van Sluijs Esther E   Mani Ankur A   Caldeira Sandra S   Herrmann Benedikt B  

Nature human behaviour 20180924 10


Network interventions can help achieve behavioural change by inducing peer-pressure in the network. However, inducing peer-pressure without considering the structure of the existing social network may render the intervention ineffective or weaker. In a 7-week school-based field experiment using preadolescents' physical activity (PA) as a proxy for estimating behavioural change, we test the hypothesis that boys' and girls' distinct networks are susceptible to different social incentives. We run t  ...[more]

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