Using Cognitive Interviewing to Assess the Feasibility and Acceptability of the Network Canvas Platform for Social Network Data Collection Among Adolescent and Young Adult Survivors of Cancer: Pilot Descriptive Study.
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, 700 HMC Crescent Road, Hershey, PA, 17033, United States, 1 7175316012.
- 2Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States.
- 3Department of Pediatrics, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.
- 4Department of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States.
- 5Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
- 6Kolschowsky Research & Education Institute, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Sarasota, FL, United States.
- 7Center for Computational and Social Sciences in Health, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.
Abstract
Background
Little is known about the composition and function of the social networks of adolescent and young adult survivors of cancer, despite the importance of social health for adolescent and young adult development. For adolescent and young adult survivors of cancer, social networks may be particularly important sources of support and coping. Understanding this group's social health through understanding their social networks can inform intervention development to improve various facets of health and life productivity.Objective
The objective of this descriptive study was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of collecting and analyzing social network data using the Network Canvas platform among a subset of adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer.Methods
We used cognitive interviewing, a qualitative method to assess survey comprehension and usability, to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using the Network Canvas social network data collection platform among 10 adolescent and young adult survivors of cancer. Participants (ie, egos) were asked about people (ie, alters) in their networks before cancer diagnosis (via recall) and currently (after cancer diagnosis). Feasibility was explored in three ways: (1) the proportion of participants who completed the full Network Canvas survey; (2) qualitative analysis of cognitive interviews addressing usability and comprehension; and (3) demonstration of whether self-administered, role-anonymized responses yielded data complete enough to support the creation of standard egocentric network measures through preliminary descriptive statistics. Acceptability was explored through qualitative analysis of the desire of participants to use Network Canvas again and features they liked when using Network Canvas.Results
In terms of feasibility, all 10 participants completed the Network Canvas survey. In qualitative analysis, participants described the ease of using Network Canvas (including engagement) while also describing ways to improve its usability. In terms of acceptability, when asked if they would use Network Canvas again, participants overall answered positively.Conclusions
Network Canvas use among our sample of adolescent and young adult survivors of cancer was feasible and acceptable based on this exploratory analysis. The collection and analysis of social network data using Network Canvas was feasible in this pilot study. Additionally, the potentially therapeutic experience reported by some participants after completing the Network Canvas survey deserves further exploration. This work provides a starting point for future social health studies, psychosocial programming, and identification of those at risk of social disconnect.
Related
- Motivational Interviewing for Pediatric Residents: A Case-Based Workshop on Adolescent Substance Use.
- The Master Adaptive Learner Behavioral Assessment Scale (MAL BAS): Development, Validity Evidence, Feasibility, and Acceptability of a New Instrument
- Feasibility, Acceptability, and Initial Efficacy of a Wheelchair Exercise Training Program in People With Multiple Sclerosis
- Feasibility and acceptability of a randomized controlled trial of a patient-centred transition program for stroke survivors and their caregivers—P-NAVISTROKE study
- F-OGS, a new “Follow-up Onco-Geriatric Screening” tool during the follow-up of older patients undergoing oncological treatment. Pilot study of feasibility and acceptability
BibTeX
@article{rao2026using,
title = {{Using Cognitive Interviewing to Assess the Feasibility and Acceptability of the Network Canvas Platform for Social Network Data Collection Among Adolescent and Young Adult Survivors of Cancer: Pilot Descriptive Study.}},
author = {Pooja Rao and Ian Rowe-Nicholls and Gabrielle Lang and Tabitha Chen and Ashton Verdery and Laura Koehly and Erika VanDyke and Heather Costigan and Deepa Sekhar and Kristin Bingen and Smita Dandekar and Christina Toepke and Tonya King and Michelle Birkett and Lauren Van Scoy},
journal = {JMIR formative research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2196/91765},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42962074},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Using Cognitive Interviewing to Assess the Feasibility and Acceptability of the Network Canvas Platform for Social Network Data Collection Among Adolescent and Young Adult Survivors of Cancer: Pilot Descriptive Study.
AU - Pooja Rao
AU - Ian Rowe-Nicholls
AU - Gabrielle Lang
AU - Tabitha Chen
AU - Ashton Verdery
AU - Laura Koehly
AU - Erika VanDyke
AU - Heather Costigan
AU - Deepa Sekhar
AU - Kristin Bingen
AU - Smita Dandekar
AU - Christina Toepke
AU - Tonya King
AU - Michelle Birkett
AU - Lauren Van Scoy
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - JMIR formative research
DO - 10.2196/91765
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42962074
AB - Background Little is known about the composition and function of the social networks of adolescent and young adult survivors of cancer, despite the importance of social health for adolescent and young adult development. For adolescent and young adult survivors of cancer, social networks may be particularly important sources of support and coping. Understanding this group's social health through understanding their social networks can inform intervention development to improve various facets of health and life productivity.Objective The objective of this descriptive study was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of collecting and analyzing social network data using the Network Canvas platform among a subset of adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer.Methods We used cognitive interviewing, a qualitative method to assess survey comprehension and usability, to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using the Network Canvas social network data collection platform among 10 adolescent and young adult survivors of cancer. Participants (ie, egos) were asked about people (ie, alters) in their networks before cancer diagnosis (via recall) and currently (after cancer diagnosis). Feasibility was explored in three ways: (1) the proportion of participants who completed the full Network Canvas survey; (2) qualitative analysis of cognitive interviews addressing usability and comprehension; and (3) demonstration of whether self-administered, role-anonymized responses yielded data complete enough to support the creation of standard egocentric network measures through preliminary descriptive statistics. Acceptability was explored through qualitative analysis of the desire of participants to use Network Canvas again and features they liked when using Network Canvas.Results In terms of feasibility, all 10 participants completed the Network Canvas survey. In qualitative analysis, participants described the ease of using Network Canvas (including engagement) while also describing ways to improve its usability. In terms of acceptability, when asked if they would use Network Canvas again, participants overall answered positively.Conclusions Network Canvas use among our sample of adolescent and young adult survivors of cancer was feasible and acceptable based on this exploratory analysis. The collection and analysis of social network data using Network Canvas was feasible in this pilot study. Additionally, the potentially therapeutic experience reported by some participants after completing the Network Canvas survey deserves further exploration. This work provides a starting point for future social health studies, psychosocial programming, and identification of those at risk of social disconnect.
SN - 2561-326X
ER -