Modeling Social Capital as Dynamic Networks to Promote Access to Oral Healthcare.
Social capital, as comprised of human connections in social networks and their associated benefits, is closely related to the health of individuals, communities, and societies at large. For disadvantaged population groups such as older adults and racial/ethnic minorities, social capital may play a particularly critical role in mitigating the negative effects and reinforcing the positive effects on health. In this project, we model social capital as both cause and effect by simulating dynamic networks. Informed in part by a community-based health promotion program, an agent-based model is contextualized in a GIS environment to explore the complexity of social disparities in oral and general health as experienced at the individual, interpersonal, and community scales. This study provides the foundation for future work investigating how health and healthcare accessibility may be influenced by social networks.
Department of Communication, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 359 Baldy Halll, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA.
Hua
H
Wang
Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, New York University College of Dentistry, 433 First Avenue, Room 726, New York, NY 10010, USA.
Mary E
ME
Northridge
Section of Population Oral Health, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, 630 W. 168th St., New York, NY 10032, USA.
Carol
C
Kunzel
Department of Geography, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 105 Wilkeson Quad, Buffalo, NY 14261, USA.
Qiuyi
Q
Zhang
Department of Geography, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 105 Wilkeson Quad, Buffalo, NY 14261, USA.
Susan S
SS
Kum
Department of Geography, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 105 Wilkeson Quad, Buffalo, NY 14261, USA.
Jessica L
JL
Gilbert
Department of Geography, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 105 Wilkeson Quad, Buffalo, NY 14261, USA.
Zhu
Z
Jin
Department of Geography, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 105 Wilkeson Quad, Buffalo, NY 14261, USA.
Sara S
SS
Metcalf
Agent-based modeling; Dynamic social network; Oral healthcare accessibility; Social capital
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