Investigation of the Effects of Peer Group Social Network on Nutrition and Oral Health in 9 and 12-year-old Students in Private Schools in Qazvin, Iran

Oral diseases and childhood obesity are two basic health challenges in the 21st century. Although researchers have paid attention to the peer social network to solve community health problems, findings about the effects of this network on children's oral health and obesity are little. This study investigated effects of peer social network on oral health and obesity in elementary school children.

In this descriptive-analytical study with convenient sampling, relationships between the oral health and obesity indicators of primary school students with friendship groups in the social network were assessed. A number of 145 students participated in this study in the 3rd and 6th semesters of primary education in the academic year of 2017–2018. Data were collected through clinical examinations and valid questionnaires and assessed using SPSS, Excel and Gephi software. Rank and linear logistic regression analysis method was used to assess correlations between the knowledge and oral health behaviors as well as nutritional behaviors in the friendship network and close friends.

Results demonstrated strong relationships between the students’ oral health and obesity indicators and their peer connections within their social friendship network groups at school. Specifically, results of ordinal regression analysis showed significant correlations in dental knowledge and eating behaviors within social friendship network groups (p < 0.001, r = 0.9). Results showed significant roles of close friends in dental knowledge and behaviors on primary school children.

This study has demonstrated that children are affected by each other in the friendship network. It has been showed that only students' close friends can be effective factors in determining students' oral hygiene behaviors.