The Application of Sociomapping in Epidemiological Research
The aim of the presentation is to contribute to the evaluation of health risk perception and the prevalence of substance use among European students and examine the possibilities of the use of new visual methods - sociomapping.
METHODS:
For our study we use a total of the 71,287 European student respondents (the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs 2007) from 23 countries (boys 49% and 51% of girls). Sociomapping is a new method for analyzing socio-economic systems that reveals hidden structures within complex systems and monitors their dynamics. The process allows for the systematic interpretation of data that is not possible using more traditional methods making it a valuable new tool for use in team development.
RESULTS:
Based on the multi level statistical models which included 9 independent variables, we can state that the students who don’t perceive smoking of one or more packets of cigarettes per day as a great risk, are 1.74 times more likely to become daily smokers than those who recognize the risk. In heavy episodic drinking, those who do not see the risk in drinking one or two drinks nearly every day tend to become heavy drinkers 1.23 times more likely than the control group and those who do not think that the occasional use of marijuana is risky, use this drug almost 7 times more likely than the students who are aware of its risk.
CONCLUSIONS:
The European countries where students are aware of the risks presented by smoking, drinking of alcohol and marijuana use, tend to show lower prevalence of these risk behaviors. Sociomaps represent a very efficient tool for analysis because they enable swift orientation and comprehension of data even in the analysis of complex systems.