Social, mobility and contact networks in shaping health behaviours and infectious disease dynamics: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: the interconnectedness of human society in this modern world can transform localised outbreaks into global pandemics, underscoring the pivotal roles of social, mobility and contact networks in shaping infectious disease dynamics. Although these networks share analogous contagion principles, they are often studied in isolation, hindering the incorporation of behavioural, informational, and epidemiological processes into disease models. This review synthesises current research on the interplay between social, mobility and contact networks in health behaviour contagion and infectious disease transmission.

Methods: we searched Web-of-Science and PubMed from January 2000 to June 2025 for research on health behaviour contagion and information dissemination in social networks, pathogen spread through mobility and contact networks, and their joint impacts on epidemic dynamics. This was first done by a preliminary literature screening based on predefined criteria. With potentially relevant publications retained, we performed keyword co-occurrence network analysis to identify the most common themes in studies. The results guide us to narrow down the reviewing scope to the social, mobility and contact network impacts on informational, behavioural, and epidemiological dynamics. We then further identified and reviewed the literature on these multidimensional network influences.

Results: our review finds that each network type plays a distinct yet interconnected role in shaping behaviours and disease dynamics. Social networks, comprising both online and offline interpersonal relationships, facilitate the dissemination of health information and influence behavioural responses to public health interventions. Concurrently, mobility and contact networks govern the spatiotemporal pathways of pathogen transmission, as demonstrated in recent pandemics. While traditional population-level models often overlook individual discrepancies and social network effects, significant efforts have been made through developing individual-level simulation-based models that integrate behavioural dynamics. With emerging new data sources and advanced computational techniques, two promising approaches-multiplex network analysis and generative agent-based modelling-offer frameworks for integrating the complex interdependencies among social, mobility and contact networks into epidemic dynamics estimation.

Conclusions: this review highlights the theoretical and methodological advances in network-based infectious disease modelling and identifies critical knowledge and research gaps. Future research should prioritise integrating multi-source behavioural and spatial data, unifying modelling strategies, and developing scalable approaches for incorporating multilayer network data. The integrated approach will strengthen public health strategies, enabling equitable and effective interventions against emerging infections.

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