Structural Characteristics of Infection Control Behaviors among Late Adolescents: A Social Network Analysis Approach

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to examine the structural characteristics of infection control behaviors among late adolescents through social network analysis (SNA), providing insights for tailored infection prevention strategies. Methods: We analyzed data from 42 university students 19‐24 years of age using a self-administered online survey and preprocessed for SNA. We assessed infection control behaviors with the Korean-style Infection Control Assessment (K‐ICA), and a one-mode network was constructed to calculate network density, inclusiveness, mean distance, centrality indices, cohesion structures, and Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) correlations. Results: The male network demonstrated higher density (0.389 vs 0.365) and shorter mean distance (1.581 vs 1.635) compared to females, indicating denser behavioral connections. Females exhibited full inclusiveness (1.000) with no isolated nodes, reflecting a consistent practice pattern. Degree centrality analysis identified “Mask use when going out” as most central for males, while “Indoor physical activity” was most central for females. Cohesion analysis revealed 5 behavioral clusters for males and 4 for females. QAP correlation analysis showed a statistically significant structural similarity between networks (r = 0.472, p = .001). Conclusions: Infection control behaviors among late adolescents demonstrate gender-specific network structures and organizational patterns. These findings highlight the importance of gender-sensitive, contextually-tailored infection prevention education and interventions.