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Supporting Cross-Company Networks in Workplace Health Promotion through Social Network Analysis—Description of the Methodological Approach and First Results from a Model Project on Physical Activity Promotion in Germany

Cross-company networking and counseling is considered to be a promising approach for workplace health promotion in small and medium-sized enterprises. However, a systematic and empirical approach on how such networks can be developed is lacking. The aims of the present paper are to describe the appr...

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Autores principales: Schaller, Andrea, Fohr, Gabriele, Hoffmann, Carina, Stassen, Gerrit, Droste-Franke, Bert
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8297148/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34206851
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136874
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author Schaller, Andrea
Fohr, Gabriele
Hoffmann, Carina
Stassen, Gerrit
Droste-Franke, Bert
author_facet Schaller, Andrea
Fohr, Gabriele
Hoffmann, Carina
Stassen, Gerrit
Droste-Franke, Bert
author_sort Schaller, Andrea
collection PubMed
description Cross-company networking and counseling is considered to be a promising approach for workplace health promotion in small and medium-sized enterprises. However, a systematic and empirical approach on how such networks can be developed is lacking. The aims of the present paper are to describe the approach of a social network analysis supporting the development of a cross-company network promoting physical activity and to present first results. In the process of developing the methodological approach, a common understanding of the nodes and edges within the project was elaborated. Based on the BIG-model as the theoretical framework of the project, five measuring points and an application-oriented data collection table were determined. Using Gephi, network size, degree, and distance measures, as well as density and clustering measures, were calculated and visualized in the course of the time. First results showed a continuous expansion and densification of the network. The application experience showed that the application of social network analysis in practical cross-company network development is promising but currently still very resource intensive. In order to address the current major challenges and enable routine application, the development of an application-oriented and feasible tool could make an essential contribution.
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spelling pubmed-82971482021-07-23 Supporting Cross-Company Networks in Workplace Health Promotion through Social Network Analysis—Description of the Methodological Approach and First Results from a Model Project on Physical Activity Promotion in Germany Schaller, Andrea Fohr, Gabriele Hoffmann, Carina Stassen, Gerrit Droste-Franke, Bert Int J Environ Res Public Health Article Cross-company networking and counseling is considered to be a promising approach for workplace health promotion in small and medium-sized enterprises. However, a systematic and empirical approach on how such networks can be developed is lacking. The aims of the present paper are to describe the approach of a social network analysis supporting the development of a cross-company network promoting physical activity and to present first results. In the process of developing the methodological approach, a common understanding of the nodes and edges within the project was elaborated. Based on the BIG-model as the theoretical framework of the project, five measuring points and an application-oriented data collection table were determined. Using Gephi, network size, degree, and distance measures, as well as density and clustering measures, were calculated and visualized in the course of the time. First results showed a continuous expansion and densification of the network. The application experience showed that the application of social network analysis in practical cross-company network development is promising but currently still very resource intensive. In order to address the current major challenges and enable routine application, the development of an application-oriented and feasible tool could make an essential contribution. MDPI 2021-06-26 /pmc/articles/PMC8297148/ /pubmed/34206851 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136874 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Schaller, Andrea
Fohr, Gabriele
Hoffmann, Carina
Stassen, Gerrit
Droste-Franke, Bert
Supporting Cross-Company Networks in Workplace Health Promotion through Social Network Analysis—Description of the Methodological Approach and First Results from a Model Project on Physical Activity Promotion in Germany
title Supporting Cross-Company Networks in Workplace Health Promotion through Social Network Analysis—Description of the Methodological Approach and First Results from a Model Project on Physical Activity Promotion in Germany
title_full Supporting Cross-Company Networks in Workplace Health Promotion through Social Network Analysis—Description of the Methodological Approach and First Results from a Model Project on Physical Activity Promotion in Germany
title_fullStr Supporting Cross-Company Networks in Workplace Health Promotion through Social Network Analysis—Description of the Methodological Approach and First Results from a Model Project on Physical Activity Promotion in Germany
title_full_unstemmed Supporting Cross-Company Networks in Workplace Health Promotion through Social Network Analysis—Description of the Methodological Approach and First Results from a Model Project on Physical Activity Promotion in Germany
title_short Supporting Cross-Company Networks in Workplace Health Promotion through Social Network Analysis—Description of the Methodological Approach and First Results from a Model Project on Physical Activity Promotion in Germany
title_sort supporting cross-company networks in workplace health promotion through social network analysis—description of the methodological approach and first results from a model project on physical activity promotion in germany
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8297148/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34206851
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136874
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