Network structural influences on the adoption of evidence‐based prevention in communities

Abstract This study examined the impact of key variables in coalition communication networks, centralization and density, on the adoption of evidence‐based substance abuse prevention. Data were drawn from a network survey and a corresponding community leader survey that measured leader attitudes and practices toward substance abuse prevention programs. Two types of coalition networks were measured: advice‐seeking and discussion relations. For each community, we computed network‐level measurements (n=20), and then used multiple linear regression. Results showed that adoption outcomes were associated with a decrease in centralization for the advice network and an increase in centralization for the discussion network, controlling for density. This suggests that community coalitions might consider decreasing their network density in such a manner that distributes power and influence among a broader base of coalition members to seek advice about programs while simultaneously discussing these programs in a more concentrated group to facilitate decisions about which programs to adopt. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.