The Flint Water Crisis Underscores The Impact Of Social Networks

According to a current Cornell research that focused on the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, the size, strength, and makeup of individuals’ social networks are essential indicators of how they will respond to the health implications of an environmental catastrophe. A recent study from Cornell University, which centered around the Flint, Michigan water crisis, found that the size, quality, and composition of a person’s social networks can serve as significant predictors of how they will react to the health impacts of an environmental catastrophe.

The influence of individuals with extensive social networks

Individuals with expansive social networks consisting primarily of females were inclined to take measures to safeguard their health, such as undergoing blood tests when it was discovered in 2014 that the public water supply in Flint was contaminated.

The research discovered that in the case of Flint residents, the magnitude, caliber, and incorporation of women into their social networks were associated with enhanced physical and mental well-being, including a lower frequency of skin rash symptoms. Residents who had more intimate connections reported experiencing fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The researchers noted that this finding is especially significant for Flint, which is a predominantly Black community that the government has neglected. The study implies that state and federal agencies can achieve more success by collaborating with local organizations and heeding the advice of those who are most familiar with the city.

Jenna Shelton, a doctoral candidate at Cornell’s Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy who involved her self in the study remarked that “community environments and connections are significant.” She emphasized that “community leaders are the most knowledgeable about their community’s requirements and how to access resources“.

On February 15th, an article in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction examined “the cultural aspects of group responses to environmental dangers in the Flint Water Crisis“. The article reviewed the research results.

Collaboration for cultural sensitivity

Jenna Shelton, Elizabeth Chase, Babatunde Patrick Ajayi ’25, Joyce Armstrong ’25, and Jerel Ezell worked together with a survey team in Flint to conduct interviews with 331 residents at different times and places, with a focus on being culturally sensitive. Jerel Ezell, the director of the Cornell Center for Cultural Humility and an assistant professor of sociology in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, was part of the collaboration.

The survey results supported previous studies indicating that individuals are more likely to heed the advice of those who share similar characteristics. Black women were particularly effective advocates for their community in Flint, and when they worked together, they had the most success in disseminating essential information. While some of this collaboration may occur organically, as it did in Flint, external agencies can also benefit from it, according to the researchers.

Jenna Shelton commented that “federal, state and local authorities need to cooperate with community members and their larger networks to address potential crises proactively. Additionally, as a reactive measure, they must equip themselves to offer effective, dependable, and culturally appropriate support to diverse communities during times of crisis”.

Read the original article on PHYS.

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