Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic Of Iran

en How Iranian Students Communicate About Puberty Information: Results of a Network Analysis Epidemiology Epidemiology Original Research Original Research Background: To evaluate the structure of students' social networks (So. N) generally and in a specific network (Sp. N), in which students discuss delicate puberty concerns with their classmates, the present research examined the communication networks of students in Hamadan, Iran, a mid-sized city in Iran.    Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the data were collected from a total of 350 students in 14 classes from 14 schools using a stratified sampling method. In each class, the communication networks of students were examined by asking direct questions about links among them. The students’ centrality indices were computed using UCINET 6 software. Since the size of the classes was different, the centrality index was reported as a percentage, which was the number of reported links over the maximum number of possible ones.    Results: The centrality index in So. Ns and Sp. Ns in boys was more than those in girls (55.4% vs 47.6% in So. N, and 33.4% vs 20.1% in Sp. N). The students’ centrality indices in So. Ns and Sp. Ns were also positively correlated (r=0.58; p<0.001). In addition, the Sp. N was around 45% lower than So. N in both sexes.    Conclusion: The communication styles among students in Sp. N appeared to be very different from those in So. N and the styles were related to demographic traits. As a result, it was determined that a thorough investigation of communication networks was essential for customizing health promotion initiatives for students. Social Network, Centrality Index, Student, Adolescence, Communication, Puberty Information, Network Analysis, Transmission 984 989 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-321-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Leyla Halimi lhhalimi20@yahoo.com 200319475328460073230 200319475328460073230 No Clinical Research Development Unit of Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran Eshagh Dortaj rabari edortaj@yahoo.com 200319475328460073231 200319475328460073231 No School of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran Reza MajdZadeh rezamajd@tums.ac.ir 200319475328460073232 200319475328460073232 No Interdisciplinary Research and Practice Division, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, Colchester, UK Aliakbar Haghdoost ahaghdoost@kmu.ac.ir 200319475328460073233 200319475328460073233 Yes Modeling in Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran