*****  To join INSNA, visit http://www.sfu.ca/~insna/  *****

Doug,
I support your desire to encourage us to do more, but a couple of brief comments.

First, there is considerable value in conducting retrospective studies to
understand how a disease spreads.  These studies contribute knowledge used in
future epidemic interventions.  Such indirect use of network analysis, will
understandbly constitute the majority of such applications, until direct
interventions can be developed, tested, and made possible for routine use.

Second, there are 2 examples (that I know of) of the use of SNA to construct
interventions (see references below).  While these 2 studies are not in of
infectious disease, it is only a question of time before someone applies these
or other methods to such a study, gets the requisite funding, IRB approval and
so on.  It will take time for the scientific application of SNA to gain
currency, but many are working on it including people at the CDC, NIH and other
agencies.


Buller and others study of nutrition promotion:

Buller, D., Buller, M.K., Larkey, L., Sennott-Miller, L., Taren, D., Aickin, M.,
Wentzel, T.M. & Morrill, C. (2000). Implementing a 5-a-day peer health educator
program for public sector labor and trades employees. Health Education &
Behavior, 27 (2), 232-240.

Buller, D. B., Morrill, C., Taren, D., Aickin, M., Sennott-Miller, L., Buller,
M. K., Larkey, L., Alatorre, C., & Wentzel, T. M. (1999). Randomized trial
testing the effect ofa peer education at increasing fruit and vegetable intake.
  Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 91, 1491-1500.

Valente's matching method, applied to smoking prevention:

Valente, T. W., & Davis, R. L. (1999). Accelerating the diffusion of innovations
using opinion leaders.  The Annals of the American Academy of the Political and
Social Sciences, 566, 55-67.

Valente, T. W., Hoffman, B. R., Ritt-Olson, A., Lichtman, K., & Johnson, C. A.
(in press).  The effects of a social network method for group assignment
strategies on peer led tobacco prevention programs in schools.  American Journal
of Public Health.



Doug Bryan wrote:
> *****  To join INSNA, visit http://www.sfu.ca/~insna/  *****
>
> I certainly see how SNA is useful after the fact, to study how a contagion
> spread.  But are there any interventions arrived at though SNA that could
> not be arrived at using other, simpler diagnostic methods?
>
> Doug Bryan
> [log in to unmask]
> http://pavg.stanford.edu/people/bryan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Valdis Krebs" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2003 5:05 PM
> Subject: Re: spread of SARS
>
>
>
>>*****  To join INSNA, visit http://www.sfu.ca/~insna/  *****
>>
>>Yes, Andrew quite a few SNA folks[many of them are on this list] are
>>working in this, or similar areas.  Here is a quick example of how SNA
>>was used with the spread of another airborne contagion: TB.
>>
>>-- http://www.orgnet.com/contagion.html
>>
>>There was a presentation on this TB outbreak at the most recent Sunbelt
>>by Mackenzie Andre of the CDC.
>>
>>Valdis
>>
>>
>>Andrew Waterman wrote:
>>
>>
>>>*****  To join INSNA, visit http://www.sfu.ca/~insna/  *****
>>>
>>>This PowerPoint presentation shows that the spread of SARS can be
>>
> understood
>
>>>through network-theoretic analysis, one could say almost as much as the
>>>spread of SARS can be understood through biology.  Fortunately the SARS
>>>epidemic is in its early stages, and tracking its point-to-point spread
>>
> is
>
>>>still tractable.
>>>
>>>My questions are these: Can we network theorists contribute any important
>>>insights to the fight against SARS?  Have network analyses in the past
>>>helped organizations like the CDC and the WHO?
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>Andrew Waterman
>>>(Symbolic Systems M.S. student at Stanford University)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Social Networks Discussion Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
>>>Behalf Of Valdis Krebs
>>>Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2003 9:22 AM
>>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>>Subject: spread of SARS
>>>
>>>
>>>*****  To join INSNA, visit http://www.sfu.ca/~insna/  *****
>>>
>>>Here is a CDC presentation that includes some of the network dynamics of
>>>the spread of SARS... including a network graph [slide 9] around one
>>>"super-spreader".
>>>
>>>  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ppt/globalsars.ppt
>>>
>>>Valdis
>>>
>>
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>
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--
To learn more about my evaluation book go to:
http://www.oup-usa.org/isbn/0195141768.html
My personal webpage:
http://www-hsc.usc.edu/~tvalente/
---
Thomas W. Valente, PhD
Director, Master of Public Health Program
http://www.usc.edu/hsc/medicine/preventive_med/ipr/mph/
Department of  Preventive Medicine
School of Medicine
University of Southern California
1000 Fremont Ave.
Building A Room 5133
Alhambra CA 91803
phone: (626) 457-6678
fax: (626) 457-6699
email: [log in to unmask]

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