Social Connections Key To Preventing Diseases, Says Manchester Study

Study in UK: Manchester University researchers have participated in a new study that revealed that social connections are extremely important in preventing diseases.

The scientists from the University of Manchester, NYU, and the University of Birmingham joined forces with the Indian Institute of Public Health on a new groundbreaking study which is published in Nature Scientific Reports. The study revealed that a healthy life is linked with a social life.

The new research suggested that people's social connections play a key role in whether they adopt preventative health measures.

"Their study - which focused on malaria prevention in ten villages in India - looked at how different factors influence people's use of preventative measures like bed nets, insect repellent and protective clothing. It involved detailed interviews with over 1,500 adults, gathering information about their health practices and social networks," reads the statement of the University of Manchester.

More Details Of University Of Manchester Study On Social Connections And Good Health

The study found that the social connections of a person highly determine whether they take good preventive measures or not. It revealed that someone's social network greatly influences their health behaviours. For example, if the family and friends are using insect repellents, the person in this circle is more likely to use them.

They also found that factors like gender, age, education, and advice from health experts have less impact on people's health behaviour.

“There was little evidence that adopting one healthy behaviour leads to adopting others – the study found that people do not necessarily adopt prevention behaviours in bundles, but rather tend to simply adopt ones which are common among the people they talk to,” added the university statement.

Dr Elisa Bellotti, senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Manchester said, “Programmes should be designed to leverage social connections, making health behaviours something that families and communities do together. By understanding the power of social influence, we can make significant strides in preventing infectious and non-communicable diseases and promoting healthier societies.”

This study is crucial because it suggests that public health programmes should focus more on group influence rather than on individuals solely. Also, targeting the whole family instead of an individual is going to have more effective prevention strategies.

The researchers' focus for the study was on malaria in rural India but the finding is applicable to the global population for various diseases.

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