Informal training in staff networks to support dissemination of health promotion programs

To study informal skill transfer via staff networks as a complement to formal training among afterschool childcare providers implementing a health promotion program.

Cross-sectional, sociometric network analysis.

Boston Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) afterschool programs implementing the iPLAY program.

All 91 staff members at 20 sites were eligible; 80 completed the survey (88% response rate).

At the network level, network density measured system-level connectedness. At the staff level, the independent variable was out degree, the number of individuals to whom respondents noted a program-related connection. The dependent variable was skill gains, the number of key implementation skills gained from the network.

We mapped the staff program-related social network. We utilized multiple linear regression to estimate the relationship between out degree and skill gains, and we adjusted for clustering of staff in sites.

Most staff (77%) reported gaining at least one skill from the network, but only 2% of potential network connections were established. The regression model showed that out degree (i.e., number of program-related contacts) was significantly associated with skill gains (beta = .48, p < .01) independent of other variables.

Informal skill transfer in staff networks may be a useful complement to formal training for implementation of health promotion programs, but informal skill transfer was likely underutilized in this network. Future research employing longitudinal and/or multisite data should examine these findings in greater detail.