Interorganizational Networks in Physical Activity Promotion: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Public health challenges such as physical inactivity are multiplex and cannot be effectively addressed by single organizations or sectors. For this reason, public health policies have to involve various sectors and foster partnerships among organizations. Social network analysis (SNA) provides a methodological toolkit that enables the investigation of relationships between organizations to reveal information about the structure and cooperation within networks. This systematic review provides an overview of studies utilizing SNA to analyze the structure of networks that promote physical activity, including the structural set-up, types, and conditions of cooperation, the existence or absence of key actors, the characteristics of organizations working together, and potential barriers limiting collaboration. In total, eight eligible studies were identified. To evaluate the quality of these studies, a quality assessment tool for SNA was created. Relevant aspects from each study were systematically outlined using a data extraction template developed for network studies. The studies reported low to moderate density scores with many ties not being realized. Organizations tend to work side by side than as real partners, whereas organizations of the same type are more strongly connected. Most of the studies identified governmental health organizations as key players in their networks. Network maturity influences network outcomes. Shared goals and geographic proximity are potential facilitators for network development. For future research, more sophisticated methods and longitudinal studies are required to describe how networks, with the aim of promoting physical activity, develop and change to identify predicting factors for an effective network structure.

Facilitators of Multisector Collaboration for Delivering Cancer Control Interventions in Rural Communities: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

“…What participants in our study described as willingness to collaborate aligns with the positive partner motives reported in the review ( 31 ). Timm and colleagues found shared goals and geographic proximity may facilitate development of multisectoral physical activity networks ( 32 ). Stolp and colleagues found trust and relationship quality were related to effectiveness of collaborations ( 33 ).…”

“…Long-standing relationships highlighted in this study parallel the partner resources of personal networks, connections, and reputations identified by others as facilitators ( 34 ). Facilitators from recent reviews, including leadership ( 33 , 34 ), communication ( 31 , 34 ), and length of collaboration ( 32 , 33 ), were also discussed in our interviews.…”

Physical activity promotion in an urban district: Analyzing the mechanisms of interorganizational cooperation

“…Several studies have examined interorganizational PAP networks revealing mixed results concerning network properties and structure [ 43 ]. This can be attributed to the fact that types of network organizations varied significantly, as did the administrative levels (community, regional, national) at which they operated.…”

The use of social network analysis in social support and care: a systematic scoping review protocol

“…The results of this scoping review will be added to the existing review articles on the use of the SNA in the health research area as complex health care interventions [ 40 ], the behavior change [ 41 ], nursing [ 42 ], inter-organizational networks [ 43 ], or healthcare providers [ 44 ]. Specifically, this protocol describes a systematic method synthesizing the existing literature on the use of SNA to study social support and care within the context of illness and disability.…”