Compositional and contextual associations of social capital and self-rated health in Seoul, South Korea: a multilevel analysis of longitudinal evidence

Do public employment services affect the self-rated health of migrant workers in China?

Migrant workers greatly contributing to China’s industrialization and urbanization are confronted with increasing health risks. This study empirically investigates the effects of public employment services on the self-rated health of migrant workers in Shanghai China, by using data from the National Bureau of Statistics from 2015 to 2020. The estimation results under the Ordered Probit model illustrate that public employment services significantly improve the self-rated health of migrant workers, and vocational training, job development and other related services show an apparently positive correlation with the self-rated health. The marginal effect analysis reveals that public employment services obviously reduce the probability of health satisfaction as “average”, “relatively satisfied” and “relatively dissatisfied”, which translate into a significant increase in the probability of “very satisfied”. The mechanism analysis verifies that public employment services enhance the self-rated health by increasing the proportion of medical insurance and injury insurance of migrant workers. The results are still reliable by adopting the methods of subsample regression, Propensity Score Matching and variable substitution to conduct robustness checks. This study further enriches the literature on public employment services and the health status of migrant workers, and provides policy implications on improving the health status of migrant workers and the public employment service system of China under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Does Social Capital Promote Health?

The determinants of health are influenced by genetics, lifestyle, social environment, medical conditions, etc. As an informal system, social capital plays an increasingly recognized role in individual health. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the direct and indirect effects of social capital on individual health in China. Using cross-sectional data from the China Family Panel Studies 2016, this paper explores the effects of cognitive and structural social capital on individual health from a micro perspective. The results show that both types of social capital have significant positive effects on individual health, and this effect remains after endogeneity is considered. The two types of social capital show obvious heterogeneity in age samples, urban and rural samples and north-south samples. In addition, the mechanism analysis shows that the health promotion effects of the two types of social capital are mainly derived from the effects of informal finance and access to medical resources. Based on the above findings, this paper puts forward policy recommendations.

Associations between Disability in Activities of Daily Living and Social Capital aspects among older adults: a scoping review

Social capital aspects are playing an important role in activities of daily living (ADL) performance, thus on independent living. This paper was aimed to present an overview of the associations and adverse effects between social capital aspects and disability in ADL and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in an older population aged 65 years old and over. Α scoping review was designed following the guidelines of PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and the review was conducted by 3 authors. A total of 185 primary studies were extracted and, finally, 40 studies did meet the inclusion criteria and critically appraised in two main categories; Category 1(29 studies) ‘social capital and disability in ADL’ deducing that as greater a social capital as better ADL performance and Category 2 (11 studies) ‘Social capital and HRQoL’ concluding that people 65 years old and over with lower social capital were presented with a poor HRQoL. Study synthesis highlights the impact of social capital suggesting that nurses caring for older people must focus on their engagement in terms of social diversity and trust in the community.

Are both individual-level and county-level social capital associated with individual health? A serial cross-sectional analysis in China, 2010-2015

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to examine the associations of both individual-level and county-level social capital with individual health in China during a period of rapid economic growth.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A serial cross-sectional study in China.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

The participants were 42 829 Chinese adults (aged ≥18 years) from the 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 Chinese General Social Survey. The outcomes were self-rated physical and mental health in all time points. We assessed social capital by the individual-level and county-level indicators, including frequency of socialising, civic participation and trust. We conducted multilevel binary logistic regression models to examine the associations of individual-level and county-level social capital with self-rated physical and mental health.

RESULTS

At the individual level, high frequency of socialising (2010-OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.33 to 1.66; 2012-OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.54; 2013-OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.15 to 1.42; 2015-OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.23 to 1.50) and high trust (2010-OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.47; 2012-OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.42; 2013-OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.33; 2015-OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.28 to 1.55) was significantly associated with good physical health in all years. At the individual level, high frequency of socialising (2010-OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.42; 2012-OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.34; 2013-OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.45; 2015-OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.50) and high trust (2010-OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.34 to 1.61; 2012-OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.30 to 1.56; 2013-OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.24 to 1.49; 2015-OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.30 to 1.57) was also significantly associated with good mental health in all years. No evidence showed that the associations of individual-level frequency of socialising and trust with physical and mental health changed over time. There were no consistent associations of individual-level civic participation or any county-level social capital indicators with physical or mental health.

CONCLUSION

The positive associations of individual-level social capital in terms of socialising and trust with physical and mental health were robust during a period of rapid economic growth. Improving individual-level socialising and trust for health promotion could be a long-term strategy even within a rapidly developing society.

The Mediating Role of Social Capital in Digital Information Technology Poverty Reduction an Empirical Study in Urban and Rural China

Widespread use of digital information technology is having a significant impact on economic growth and people’s well-being. This paper assesses the mediating role of social capital in the impact of digital information technology on multidimensional poverty. Due to differences in regional, industrial structure and other factors, digital information technology has different impacts on urban and rural residents. In this paper, the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) database is used for data, and a mediating effect model is used to study the problem. The digital information technology use was found to enhance social capital from social network, social participation and social trust, and subsequently alleviates multidimensional poverty. The results indicate that social trust plays a more significant mediating role than social capital and social participation on the impact of digital information technology on multidimensional poverty. Furthermore, the results reveal that the use of digital information technology has varying effects on poverty reduction among different income groups, with a much higher effect on low-income groups. However, the mediating effect of social capital in high-income groups is higher than that in low-income groups. In particular, social capital in the top 25% of income groups has the highest mediating effect. In the heterogeneity analysis between urban and rural areas, it is found that the multidimensional poverty situation in urban areas is significantly better than that in rural areas, because urban residents have a higher use of digital information, and at the same time, the quality of social capital in urban and rural groups is different, leading to the difference in the effect of digital information technology on poverty reduction of multidimensional poverty. Based on the results of the study, we believe that the use of digital information technology has actually improved the multi-dimensional poverty status of all groups, and social capital plays a key mediating role in it. Relying on the progress of digital information technology, we can build more convenient social network. Establish more adequate channels of information communication, enhance social trust and social participation, and alleviate multidimensional poverty.

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.

The effects of neighborhood social ties and networks on mental health and well-being: A qualitative case study of women residents in a middle-class Korean urban neighborhood

Despite the general understanding of the significance of neighborhood social capital on mental health, our understanding of the mechanisms of these effects is limited. This study thus explores the characteristics of neighborhood social ties and networks experienced by women residents in their urban neighborhood in the Seoul metropolitan area, Korea, and how these social relationships contributed to their mental health and well-being. We draw on a phenomenological qualitative study conducted in 2016, which included interviews with 18 full-time or part-time housewives with children. The participants in this study experienced the neighborhood social networks and ties as unessential but supportive relationships, as an extension of mothering, and as a source of stressful social comparisons. With these characteristics, the social relationships had both positive and negative effects on the participants' mental health and well-being because they provided social support but also generated everyday stress. This study illustrates an example of the complex link between neighborhood social capital and mental health. It also contributes to our understanding of the everyday processes that influence the health and well-being of women, highlighting the possible oppressive attributes of neighborhood communities.

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.

Association between disability and social capital among community-dwelling elderly

Objective

To assess the prevalence of disability and its association with social capital among community-dwelling elderly.

Methods

The study was based on 2nd Health Survey of Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region - 2010, that included 1,995 community-dwelling elderly, randomly sampled. The exposure of interest was social capital, measured by confidence in neighborhood, perception of the physical environment, sense of cohesion in housing, and neighborhood perception of help. Socio-demographic variables, health conditions and use of health services were considered in the analysis with the purpose of adjustment.

Results

Approximately one third of participants (32.6%) were unable to at least one instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) and/or basic activity of daily living (ADL); the prevalence of disability in ADL/IADL was 18.1%, and only in IADL was 14.6%. Elderly with functional disabilities had higher odds of poor social capital, but only the sense of cohesion in housing neighborhood showed to be independently associated with functional disability (OR = 1.80; 95%CI 1.12 - 2.88).

Conclusions

Our results show the importance of social capital in research on associated factors of functional disability and indicate the need to implement public policies for social and environmental areas, since the needs of the elderly require measures beyond those typical of the health sector.

Validity analysis on merged and averaged data using within and between analysis: focus on effect of qualitative social capital on self-rated health

OBJECTIVES:

With an increasing number of studies highlighting regional social capital (SC) as a determinant of health, many studies are using multi-level analysis with merged and averaged scores of community residents’ survey responses calculated from community SC data. Sufficient examination is required to validate if the merged and averaged data can represent the community. Therefore, this study analyzes the validity of the selected indicators and their applicability in multi-level analysis.

METHODS:

Within and between analysis (WABA) was performed after creating community variables using merged and averaged data of community residents’ responses from the 2013 Community Health Survey in Korea, using subjective self-rated health assessment as a dependent variable. Further analysis was performed following the model suggested by WABA result.

RESULTS:

Both E-test results (1) and WABA results (2) revealed that single-level analysis needs to be performed using qualitative SC variable with cluster mean centering. Through single-level multivariate regression analysis, qualitative SC with cluster mean centering showed positive effect on self-rated health (0.054, p<0.001), although there was no substantial difference in comparison to analysis using SC variables without cluster mean centering or multi-level analysis.

CONCLUSIONS:

As modification in qualitative SC was larger within the community than between communities, we validate that relational analysis of individual self-rated health can be performed within the group, using cluster mean centering. Other tests besides the WABA can be performed in the future to confirm the validity of using community variables and their applicability in multi-level analysis.

Longitudinal association between social capital and self-esteem: a matter of context

The aim of this study is to investigate the longitudinal association between indicators of different components of social capital at the individual, household, and area levels and self-esteem while adjusting for various confounders at multiple levels. Respondents participating in Wave 1 (2009) and 2 (2010) of the Seoul Welfare Panel Study were used in the analysis. The final sample for the current study includes a total of 5127 participants in 2738 households within 25 administrative areas. This study shows that only a small amount of variance in self-esteem was attributed to the area level (7.6%). On the other hand, a relatively large amount of variance in self-esteem was attributed to the household level (52.5%). It has also shown that all individual-level social capital indicators including perceived helpfulness, organizational participation, and volunteer work were positively associated with self-esteem. Among household-level indicators of social capital, only organizational participation was associated with self-esteem. However, none of the area-level social capital indicators were associated with self-esteem. The main finding of the current study suggested that the association between social capital and self-esteem varied depending on both dimensions and levels of social capital indicators.

Investigating the relationship between self-rated health and social capital in South Africa: a multilevel panel data analysis

Background

The relationship between social capital and self-rated health has been documented in many developed compared to developing countries. Because social capital and health play important roles in development, it may be valuable to study their relationship in the context of a developing country with poorer health status. Further, the role of social capital research for health policy has not received much attention. This paper therefore examines the relationship between social capital and health in South Africa, a country with the history of colonialism and apartheid that has contributed to the social disintegration and destruction of social capital.

Methods

This study uses data from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), the first nationally representative panel study in South Africa. Two waves of the NIDS were used in this paper – Wave 1 (2008) and Wave 2 (2010). Self-rated health, social capital (individual- and contextual-level), and other covariates related to the social determinants of health (SDH) were obtained from the NIDS. Individual-level social capital included group participation, personalised trust and generalised trust while contextual-level or neighbourhood-level social capital was obtained by aggregating from the individual-level and household-level social capital variables to the neighbourhood. Mixed effects models were fitted to predict self-rated health in Wave 2, using lagged covariates (from Wave 1).

Results

Individual personalised trust, individual community service group membership and neighbourhood personalised trust were beneficial to self-rated health. Reciprocity, associational activity and other types of group memberships were not found to be significantly associated with self-rated health in South Africa. Results indicate that both individual- and contextual-level social capital are associated with self-rated health.

Conclusion

Policy makers may want to consider policies that impact socioeconomic conditions as well as social capital. Some of these policies are linked to the SDH. We contend that the significant social capital including community service membership can be encouraged through policy in a way that is in line with the values of the people. This is likely to impact on health and quality of life generally and lead to a reduction in the burden of disease in South Africa considering the historic context of the country.

Invited commentary: how research on public school closures can inform research on public hospital closures

The literature on social capital and civic engagement as they relate to health and health services outcomes is nuanced and sometimes conflicting, and has been a topic of much investigation in the pages of Social Science and Medicine. Ko et al. (2014) add to this research by considering two health services outcomes: the closure and privatization of public hospitals. We draw from education research on the role of community/civic engagement in public school closures to identify areas for future research to better understand these nuances. Qualitative research on school closures suggest that there are both well-managed and poorly managed closure decisions, and there are diverse community groups with interests in the decision who can interact with each other in nuanced ways. Furthermore, across stakeholder groups, there is not always agreement as to if closure would help or harm their students' education. We encourage health and health services researchers to glean insights from education research and other disciplines disparate but related and relevant to public health when developing research questions and considering alternative methodologies.

Social capital and the utilization of maternal and child health services in India: a multilevel analysis

This study examines the association between social capital and the utilization of antenatal care, professional delivery care, and childhood immunizations using a multilevel analytic sample of 10,739 women who recently gave birth and 7403 children between one and five years of age in 2293 communities and 22 state-groups from the 2005 India Human Development Survey. Exploratory factor analysis was used to create and validate six social capital measures that were used in multilevel logistic regression models to examine whether each form of social capital had an independent, contextual effect on health care use. Results revealed that social capital operated at the community level in association with all three care-seeking behaviors; however, the results differed based on the type of health care utilized. Specifically, components of social capital that led to heterogeneous bridging ties were positively associated with all three types of health care use, whereas components of social capital that led to strong bonding ties were negatively associated with the use of preventive care, but positively associated with professional delivery care.

Social capital, ideology, and health in the United States

Research from across disciplines has demonstrated that social and political contextual factors at the national and subnational levels can impact the health and health behavior risks of individuals. This paper examines the impact of state-level social capital and ideology on individual-level health outcomes in the U.S. Leveraging the variation that exists across states in the U.S., the results reveal that individuals report better health in states with higher levels of governmental liberalism and in states with higher levels of social capital. Critically, however, the effect of social capital was moderated by liberalism such that social capital was a stronger predictor of health in states with low levels of liberalism. We interpret this finding to mean that social capital within a political unit-as indicated by measures of interpersonal trust-can serve as a substitute for the beneficial impacts that might result from an active governmental structure.