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Modeling the effects of social influence on health-related decision making

The objective of this work is to assess the diffusion of weight loss throughout a network of obese and overweight individuals using a model of the spread of effect with realistic parameters. Although previous studies have shown that friends, siblings or spouses affect each other, no studies have shown how people would be influenced by the summation of such effects over time. Individuals begin trying to lose weight upon receiving enough effect from their network connections to cross a threshold, while allowing for individuals to also become discouraged by connections who fail to lose weight. We propose a model that integrates both personal attributes that lead to adapting a certain behavior and network related attributes of an individual. This diffusion model can be used to decide whom to choose as initial participants of a weight loss program in order to maximize effectiveness of the program.

In order to develop appropriate parameters for this type of model, surveys targeted at identifying key influential individuals in a social network are being conducted. This will enable us to understand whom people go to for health-related advice more frequently. These individuals have the potential to influence their peers if motivated to participate in the intervention. Moreover, getting to better understand characteristics and motivations of individuals who are already engaged in the wellness program can serve as a strategy to better target individuals to focus on by marketing. Undergraduate students and university employees participating in an employer sponsored wellness program are the initial populations of interest for this investigation.

Project Collaborator: Dr. Alexander Nikolaev, Industrial and Systems Engineering