The relationship between social capital and self-rated health in a Japanese population: a multilevel analysis

The Different Roles of Structural and Cognitive Social Capital on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life among Adolescents

This study evaluated the relationship of structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among adolescents. This was a cross-sectional study nested in a cohort of adolescents from southern Brazil. OHRQoL was evaluated using the short version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire 11-14 (CPQ11-14). Structural social capital was measured by attendance of religious meetings and social networks from friends and neighbours. Cognitive social capital was evaluated through trust in friends and neighbours, perception of relationships in the neighbourhood, and social support during hard times. Multilevel Poisson regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between social capital dimensions and overall CPQ11-14 scores; higher scores corresponded to worse OHRQoL. The sample comprised 429 adolescents with a mean age of 12 years. Adolescents who attended religious meetings less than once a month or never presented higher overall CPQ11-14 scores. Adolescents who did not trust their friends and neighbours, those who believe that their neighbours did not have good relationships, and those reporting no support during hard times also presented higher overall CPQ11-14 scores. OHRQoL was poorer in individuals who presented lower structural and cognitive social capital, with the greatest impact related to the cognitive dimension.

Social capital, policy fairness, and subjective life satisfaction of earthquake survivors in Wenchuan, China: a longitudinal study based on post-earthquake survey data

Background

Existing research has rarely examined an earthquake’s sustained impact and the trajectory of the earthquake survivors’ life satisfaction over time. This study aims to analyze longitudinal changes in life satisfaction of Wenchuan earthquake survivors and the impact of social capital and government relief policy.

Methods

This research applied a hierarchical linear model to longitudinal survey data collected after the earthquake. The survey was divided into three waves and was collected from Deyang City and Mianyang City of Sichuan Province. A random sampling method was used; a sample of 225 participants had valid responses over three waves of the survey.

Results

This study found that a survivor’s social capital and the perception of the fairness of government relief policy have a significant effect on the trajectory of life satisfaction post-disaster. First, the initial life satisfaction of those with high social capital was significantly higher than of those with low social capital, whilst survivors with high social capital had a lower rate of change in life satisfaction. Second, one year after the earthquake, those who felt government policy was unfair had a lower life satisfaction than those who felt it was fair. However, from the first year to the fourth year after the disaster, survivors who believed that the government policy was unfair experienced a higher rate of change in life satisfaction than those who did not. Third, the fairness of government relief policy moderates the relationship between survivors’ social capital and changes in life satisfaction. A fair policy of relief can reduce the negative impact of the lack of individual social capital on life satisfaction.

Conclusions

Survivors reconstruct life satisfaction through their social network and the perception of the fairness of the government’s post-disaster relief policy. Therefore, to promote the improvement of life satisfaction of survivors, it is necessary to cultivate social capital and ensure fairness of the relief policy.

Residents living in communities with higher civic participation report higher self-rated health

It has been shown that community-level social capital may affect residents' health. The present mixed ecological study assesses the evidence for an association between the community-level social capital and the individual level of self-rated health. The Hakui City Health Interview Survey targeted 15,242 people aged 40 years and older from 11 communities. Among them, 6578 residents responded to the questionnaire (response rate, 43.2%). We examined whether the community-level social capital (general trust, norm, and civic participation) was associated with the individual level of self-rated health. Overall, 1919 (29.1%) answers of self-rated poor health were identified. Community-level civic participation was negatively associated with poor self-rated health after adjusting for individual demographic factors, individual social capitals, and community-level economic status, whereas community-level general trust, and norm were not significant. The findings suggest the importance of fostering communities with high civic participation to reduce the poor health status of residents.

Social capital and self-rated health of residents of Gauteng province: Does area-level deprivation influence the relationship?

Although social capital has been linked to population health, there is a dearth of studies on the phenomenon especially in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the individual and contextual effects of social capital indicators (group membership, registered to vote, perception towards safety in community and generalised trust) on the self-rated health (SRH) of the residents of Gauteng province. We used data from the 2015 Quality of Life (QoL) survey, which included a random representative sample of 27476 residents (level 1) in 508 administrative wards (level 2). We employed a multilevel logistic regression to examine the association of social capital and SRH (good vs poor). After adjusting for individual and area-level factors, no main effect of group membership (Adjusted OR: 0.93: 95% CI: 0.85-1.02), generalised trust (Adjusted OR: 1.01: 95% CI: 0.89-1.49) and registered to vote (Adjusted OR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.82-1.10) was observed. However, if respondents were positive in their perception towards safety in community, there was a positive association with good SRH (Adjusted OR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.01-1.31); while if residents reported a negative perception towards safety in community, a strong negative association with good SRH (Adjusted OR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.62-0.79) was observed. Both ward variance and median odds ratio (MOR) indicate significant differences in good SRH by wards. A strong positive joint effect on the multiplicative scale was observed between satisfied with safety and the ward-level South African Multiple Deprivation Poverty Index (SAMPI), while a strong negative joint effect was also observed on a multiplicative scale between dissatisfied with safety and the SAMPI. Perception of safety in community is the core domain of social capital that significantly impacts the SRH of residents of Gauteng. Although the effect of perception towards safety in community on good SRH is influenced by ward deprivation,the effect is not dependent on the level of deprivation. Contextual factors as evidenced by the persistent MOR, in addition to individual factors, explain variation in reporting good SRH in the study area.

Investigating the relationships between social capital, chronic health conditions and health status among Australian adults: findings from an Australian national cohort survey

BACKGROUND

Social capital is a collective attribute of communities that determines health and well-being of populations. The collective resources in a high social capital community have been reported to result in better health outcomes. While evidence supports the links between social capital and various health outcomes, it is not clear about underlying mechanisms connecting multiple dimensions of social capital to health.

METHODS

Using the two-wave data from a nationally representative cohort study of Australian adults (N = 16,637), this study examined the effects of two dimensions of social capital (i.e., structural and cognitive social capital) on physical and mental health in the Australian adult population. Based on prior literature and theoretical reasoning, it was anticipated that the structural and cognitive social capital would influence self-assessed health status (physical and mental health). Additionally, these two dimensions of social capital were hypothesized to moderate the relationships between chronic health conditions and these two aspects of health status.

RESULTS

Analyses showed that the effects of chronic health conditions on mental health status were moderated by the structural social capital (β = .652, SE = .249, p = .009). Additionally, it was found that perceived community cohesion was predictive of mental health (β = .295, SE = .103, p = .004). Our analysis also indicated that perceptions of disadvantaged neighbourhood environment contributed to poorer mental health status (β = -.461, SE = .144, p = .001). However, none of the social capital variables significantly predicted physical health status.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that the structural dimension of social capital would function as a buffer against the malicious effects of chronic health conditions, impairments and disabilities. Specifically, community participation (structural social capital) is indispensable to develop an effective community-based program to improve health and well-being of those with chronic health conditions or disabilities, as increasing active participation may generate beneficial effects in this vulnerable population. Subjective perceptions about communities can also play an important role in improving better health outcomes. Further research is needed to examine underlying mechanisms linking the multiple dimensions of social capital to health outcomes among individuals who are vulnerable to external stressors.

Community-Based Cognitive Social Capital and Self-Rated Health among Older Chinese Adults: The Moderating Effects of Education

This study investigated the moderating role of education on the association between community-based cognitive social capital and self-rated health among older adults in urban Chinese communities. Data were derived from a community survey conducted in Suzhou, China, in November 2015. A sample of 456 respondents aged 60 or older completed interviews. Multiple-group analysis from a structural equation modeling perspective was adopted to examine the proposed model. The measurement model of community-based cognitive social capital featured four trust and reciprocity indicators. Measurement invariance was established across high and low education groups. Education was found to have a moderating effect on the association between community-based cognitive social capital and self-rated health, but only in the high education group. Education should be considered an important factor in future social capital policy and intervention plans. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.

Social capital and physical health: An updated review of the literature for 2007-2018

PURPOSE

Social capital is frequently indicated as a determinant of population health. Despite an increase in the frequency of public health studies including such measures, our understanding of social capital's effects on health remains unclear. In 2008, a systematic review of the "first decade" of research on social capital and health was published in the textbook Social Capital and Health. Our study intends to update and expand upon this original review to account for developments in the literature over the second decade of research on social capital and health.

METHODS

We employed a systematic review of empirical studies investigating the relationship between measures of social capital and physical health outcomes published between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2018. To identify potential studies, we conducted searches of PubMed, Embase, and PsychINFO databases in January 2019 using combinations of "social capital" and "physical health" search terms.

RESULTS

We identified 1,608 unique articles and reviewed 145 studies meeting our inclusion criteria. The most frequently examined health condition was self-reported health (57%), followed by mortality (12%), cardiovascular diseases (10%), obesity (7%), diabetes (6%), infectious diseases (5%), and cancers (3%). Of these studies, 127 (88%) reported at least partial support for a protective association between social capital and health. However, only 41 (28%) reported exclusively positive findings. The majority (59%) of results were mixed, suggesting a nuanced relationship between social capital and health. This finding could also be indicative of differences in study design, which showed substantial variation.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite limitations in the literature, our review chronicles an evolution in the field of social capital and health in terms of size and sophistication. Overall, these studies suggest that social capital may be an important protective factor for some physical health outcomes, but further research is needed to confirm and clarify these findings.

Neighborhood Environment and Disparities in Health Care Access Among Urban Medicare Beneficiaries With Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Older adults' health is sensitive to variations in neighborhood environment, yet few studies have examined how neighborhood factors influence their health care access. This study examined whether neighborhood environmental factors help to explain racial and socioeconomic disparities in health care access and outcomes among urban older adults with diabetes. Data from 123 233 diabetic Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older in New York City were geocoded to measures of neighborhood walkability, public transit access, and primary care supply. In 2008, 6.4% had no office-based "evaluation and management" (E&M) visits. Multilevel logistic regression indicated that this group had greater odds of preventable hospitalization in 2009 (odds ratio = 1.31; 95% confidence interval: 1.22-1.40). Nonwhites and low-income individuals had greater odds of a lapse in E&M visits and of preventable hospitalization. Neighborhood factors did not help to explain these disparities. Further research is needed on the mechanisms underlying these disparities and older adults' ability to navigate health care. Even in an insured population living in a provider-dense city, targeted interventions may be needed to overcome barriers to chronic illness care for older adults in the community.

Social determinants of self-rated health among Japanese mothers of children with disabilities

Caregivers of children with disability are more likely to be affected by social determinants that lead to poor health. Additionally, a previous study revealed that although mothers of a single child with disability wanted to have another child, various obstacles including social, cultural, economic, and biological factors existed and some had to give up on having another child. Since the mental health and well-being of these mothers were poorer than those of mothers with multiple children with and without disabilities, such family composition may also affect maternal health. This study aimed to investigate and compare the social determinants of self-rated health of mothers only having children with disabilities and those having multiple children with and without disabilities. Through parents' associations of children with disabilities throughout Japan, 2311 self-administrated questionnaires were distributed to mothers of such children from January to March 2016. Out of the 1133 responses (return rate 49%), 1012 (43.8%) mothers of children with disabilities under 20 years of age were used for this study. Logistic regression showed that poor financial situation was most strongly related to poor self-rated health among all mothers. Other factors related to poor self-rated health were a lack of existence of child without disability, social isolation, low health consciousness, child's sex (girl), and severity of disability (mild/moderate). However, these relationships differ based on the existence of a child without disability. Investigating how socioeconomic and cultural conditions relate to family composition including child birth, and how they determine health is needed in the future.

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Social determinants of health of mothers of children with disabilities were found.

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Poor financial status was strongly associated with mothers' self-rated health.

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Social isolation and health consciousness had significant associations with health.

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Having multiple children with and without disability influenced mothers' health.

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Social capital was not related to mothers' self-rated health.

A Conceptual Framework for Examining Healthcare Access and Navigation: A Behavioral-Ecological Perspective

This paper introduces a conceptual framework for investigating individual ability to navigate healthcare in the contexts of the built environment, social environment, and healthcare infrastructure in which a person is embedded. Given the complexity of healthcare delivery in the United States, consumers are expected to have an increasingly sophisticated set of skills in order to effectively navigate and benefit from the healthcare resources available to them. Addressing barriers to navigation in vulnerable populations may be essential to reducing health disparities. This paper builds on previous conceptual developments in the areas of healthcare use, navigation, and ecological perspectives on health in order to present a behavioral-ecological framework for examining healthcare navigation and access. The model posits that healthcare navigation is an ecologically informed process not only because of the spatial distribution of health services, but because of the spatial distribution of individual and environmental factors that influence decision-making and behavior with respect to service use. The paper discusses areas for further research on healthcare navigation, challenges for research, and implications for reducing health disparities.

[Adult tooth loss profile in accordance with social capital and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics]

Demographic and socioeconomic conditions play an important role in tooth loss in the population, however, there is little scientific evidence regarding the influence of social capital on this outcome. The scope of this study was to describe the tooth loss profile of adults aged 35-44, who are residents of the surrounding area of the city of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais. This cross-sectional exploratory study comprised a sample of 1,013 adults. The dependent variable was tooth loss. Exploratory variables were social capital, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) was used to map the adult tooth loss profile which was explained by low levels of social capital (47.0%; p < 0.001), more elderly adults (60.2%; p < 0.001), and low education levels (66.3%; p = 0.022). In the high social capital group, age was the determinant factor of tooth loss, irrespective of educational level or per capita income. The conclusion, at the individual level, is that social capital as well as demographic and socio economic characteristics explained the adult tooth loss profile. Individual social capital may have attenuated the negative influence of socioeconomic factors in the population under scrutiny.

Trust and quality of life: A cross-sectional study of young women

BACKGROUND

Trust is increasingly identified as a psychosocial determinant of well-being. However the relationship between trust and well-being outcomes has not been comprehensively examined, particularly in socially and economically transitioning countries such as Iran and among young women.

AIMS

This cross-sectional study examined the association between trust and the quality of life of young Iranian women.

METHODS

A total of 391 young Iranian women aged between 18 and 35 years (M: 27.3, standard deviation (SD): 4.8) were recruited through cluster convenience sampling to participate in this cross-sectional study. The measures used included the 'Trust scale' adapted from the British General Household Survey (GHS) Social Capital scale, and the Persian version of the WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire--brief version).

RESULTS

The participants (n = 391, mean age of 27 years) reported a relatively low level of trust. For the participants, trust was positively associated with better quality of life (r = .24, p value: .01). The findings also showed that there is a significant difference between socio-demographic factors such as the level of religiosity, occupation and income with the domains of trust.

CONCLUSION

Policies are needed to improve participation and reciprocity at the level of individuals and informal social groups, including local to broader communities in order to increase the sense of community belonging, improving trust and consequently quality of life.

Social Capital as a Determinant of Self-Rated Health in Women of Reproductive Age: A Population-Based Study

Introduction:

Recognition of the factors related to women’s health is necessary. Evidence is available that the social structure including social capital plays an important role in the shaping people’s health. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between self-rated health and social capital in women of reproductive age.

Methods:

This study is a population-based cross-sectional survey on 770 women of reproductive age, residing in any one of the 22 municipality areas across Tehran (capital of Iran) with the multi stage sampling technique. Self-rated health (Dependent variable), social capital (Independent variable) and covariates were studied. Analysis of data was done by one-way ANOVA test and multiple linear regressions.

Results:

Depending on logistic regression analyses, the significant associations were found between self-rated health and age, educational level, crowding index, sufficiency of income for expenses and social cohesion. Data show that women with higher score in social cohesion as an outcome dimension of social capital have better self-rated health (PV = 0.001).

Conclusion:

Given the findings of this study, the dimensions of social capital manifestations (groups and networks, trust and solidarity, collective action and cooperation) can potentially lead to the dimensions of social capital outcomes (social cohesion and inclusion, and empowerment and political action). Following that, social cohesion as a dimension of social capital outcomes has positively relationship with self- rated health after controlling covariates. Therefore, it is required to focus on the social capital role on health promotion and health policies.

Group involvement and self-rated health among the Japanese elderly: an examination of bonding and bridging social capital

Background

To date, only a small amount of research on bonding/bridging social capital has separately examined their effects on health though they have been thought to have differential effects on health outcomes. By using a large population-based sample of elderly Japanese people, we sought to investigate the association between bonding and bridging social capital and self-rated health for men and women separately.

Methods

In August 2010, questionnaires were sent to all residents aged ≥65 years in three municipalities in Okayama prefecture (n = 21232), and 13929 questionnaires were returned (response rate: 65.6%). Social capital was measured from survey responses to questions on participation in six different types of groups: a) the elderly club or sports/hobby/culture circle; b) alumni association; c) political campaign club; d) citizen’s group or environmental preservation activity; e) community association; and f) religious organization. Participant perception of group homogeneity (gender, age, and previous occupation) was used to divide social capital into bonding or bridging. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for poor self-rated health were calculated.

Results

A total of 11146 subjects (4441 men and 6705 women) were available for the analysis. Among men, bonding and bridging social capital were inversely associated with poor self-rated health (high bonding social capital; OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31–0.99; high bridging social capital; OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.48–0.81) after adjusting for age, educational attainment, smoking status, frequency of alcohol consumption, overweight, living arrangements, and type-D personality. The beneficial effect among women was more likely limited to bonding social capital (high bonding social capital; OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.12–1.00), and the association between bridging social capital and self-rated health was less clear (high bridging social capital; OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.44–1.07).

Conclusions

Bonding/bridging social capital could have differential associations with self-rated health among the Japanese elderly depending on the individual’s sex. Considering the lack of consensus on how to measure bonding and bridging social capital, however, we need to carefully assess the generalizability of our findings. Further research is warranted to identify health-relevant dimensions of social capital in different cultural or economic settings.

Inequalities in self-rated health in Japan 1986-2007 according to household income and a novel occupational classification: national sampling survey series

BACKGROUND

Japan, for the past two decades, has seen economic stagnation and substantial social change. We examined whether health inequalities increased over this period.

METHODS

Using eight triennial waves of a series of large nationally representative surveys between 1986 and 2007 (n=398 303), temporal trends in relative and slope indices of inequality (RII, SII, respectively) were tested based on self-rated health in relation to theory-based social class and household income.

RESULTS

Age-standardised prevalence of self-rated fair or poor health showed V-shaped time trends in both sexes with the lowest prevalence in early/mid-1990s. In 1986, RII and SII in household social class and income were significant for both sexes. In men, RII and SII according to income showed significant narrowing of temporal trends in poor health (-1.4% and -0.1% annually, respectively), but these were stable in women. After multilevel multiple imputation for missing income data, the findings in men were not altered but narrowing trends became evident and significant in women (-1% and -0.1% annually, respectively). Inequality indices for social class remained constant over the study period in both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS

Relative and absolute health inequalities for social class and income based on self-rated fair or poor health narrowed or remained stable between 1986 and 2007, despite the economic stagnation and adverse social changes. Overall population health across socioeconomic groups initially improved but then worsened. The positive finding regarding the health inequality trend seen in the Japanese context is informative for the wider international community during this period of economic uncertainty.

Influences of social capital on health and well-being from qualitative approach

The social capital surrounding health including health and well-being, the way in which they function as multi-dimensional constructs, and the potential stability of relationships among the social capital were examined across universities in Hawaii and Japan. Maintaining or strengthening social factors of collective and individual health and well-being is a core factor of social capital and is instrumental in reducing worry and increasing trust. Qualitative in-depth interviews with 64 male and female college students (32 college students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; 32 college students at Reitaku University in Japan) were used to collect information on social capital of health and well-being and associated concepts; students’ perceptions were grouped under 11 themes. The data indicates that social capital has an impact on college students’ health and well-being. They also suggest that differences in health status and well-being can be plausibly attributed to processes associated with socio-environmental circumstances and situations.

Social capital and health: a review of prospective multilevel studies

BACKGROUND

This article presents an overview of the concept of social capital, reviews prospective multilevel analytic studies of the association between social capital and health, and discusses intervention strategies that enhance social capital.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic search of published peer-reviewed literature on the PubMed database and categorized studies according to health outcome.

RESULTS

We identified 13 articles that satisfied the inclusion criteria for the review. In general, both individual social capital and area/workplace social capital had positive effects on health outcomes, regardless of study design, setting, follow-up period, or type of health outcome. Prospective studies that used a multilevel approach were mainly conducted in Western countries. Although we identified some cross-sectional multilevel studies that were conducted in Asian countries, including Japan, no prospective studies have been conducted in Asia.

CONCLUSIONS

Prospective evidence from multilevel analytic studies of the effect of social capital on health is very limited at present. If epidemiologic findings on the association between social capital and health are to be put to practical use, we must gather additional evidence and explore the feasibility of interventions that build social capital as a means of promoting health.