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From Complex Interventions to Complex Systems: Using Social Network Analysis to Understand School Engagement with Health and Wellbeing

Author

Listed:
  • Hannah J. Littlecott

    (DECIPHer, UKCRC Centre of Excellence, Cardiff University, 1-3 Museum Place, Cardiff CF10 3BD, UK)

  • Graham F. Moore

    (DECIPHer, UKCRC Centre of Excellence, Cardiff University, 1-3 Museum Place, Cardiff CF10 3BD, UK)

  • Hugh Colin Gallagher

    (Centre for Transformative Innovation, Faculty of Business and Law, Swinburne University of Technology, AGSE121 Hawthorne Campus, Melbourne, PO Box 218, Australia)

  • Simon Murphy

    (DECIPHer, UKCRC Centre of Excellence, Cardiff University, 1-3 Museum Place, Cardiff CF10 3BD, UK)

Abstract

Challenges in changing school system functioning to orient them towards health are commonly underestimated. Understanding the social interactions of school staff from a complex systems perspective may provide valuable insight into how system dynamics may impede or facilitate the promotion of health and wellbeing. Ego social network analysis was employed with wellbeing leads within four diverse case study schools to identify variability in embeddedness of health and wellbeing roles. This variation, as well as the broader context, was then explored through semi-structured qualitative interviews with school staff and a Healthy Schools Coordinator, sampled from the wellbeing leads’ ego-networks. Networks varied in terms of perceived importance and frequency of interactions, centrality, brokerage and cliques. Case study schools that showed higher engagement with health and wellbeing had highly organised, distributed leadership structures, dedicated wellbeing roles, senior leadership support and outside agencies embedded within school systems. Allocation of responsibility for wellbeing to a member of the senior leadership team alongside a distributed leadership approach may facilitate the reorientation of school systems towards health and wellbeing. Ego-network analysis to understand variance in complex school system starting points could be replicated on a larger scale and utilised to design complex interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah J. Littlecott & Graham F. Moore & Hugh Colin Gallagher & Simon Murphy, 2019. "From Complex Interventions to Complex Systems: Using Social Network Analysis to Understand School Engagement with Health and Wellbeing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-18, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:10:p:1694-:d:231093
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Roberts-Gray, Cynthia & Gingiss, Phyllis M. & Boerm, Melynda, 2007. "Evaluating school capacity to implement new programs," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 247-257, August.
    2. Teutsch, Friedrich & Gugglberger, Lisa & Dür, Wolfgang, 2015. "School health promotion providers’ roles in practice and theory: Results from a case study," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(1), pages 82-87.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jian Zhou & Chuhan Wang & Xinyu Zhang & Shuang Wang, 2022. "Public Health System and Socio-Economic Development Coupling Based on Systematic Theory: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-14, October.

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