Community-level group sports participation and all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer mortality: a 7-year longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Community-level group sports participation is a structural aspect of social capital that can potentially impact individual health in a contextual manner. This study aimed to investigate contextual relationship between the community-level prevalence of group sports participation and the risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality in older adults.

METHODS

In this 7-year longitudinal cohort study, data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a nationwide survey encompassing 43,088 functionally independent older adults residing in 311 communities, were used. Cause of death data were derived from the Japanese governmental agency, The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, for secondary use. "Participation" was defined as engaging in group sports for one or more days per month. To analyze the data, a two-level survival analysis was employed, and hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.

RESULTS

Among the participants, 5,711 (13.3%) deaths were identified, with 1,311 related to CVD and 2,349 to cancer. The average group sports participation rate was 28.3% (range, 10.0-52.7%). After adjusting for individual-level group sports participation and potential confounders, a higher community-level group sports participation rate was found to be significantly associated with a lower risk of both all-cause mortality (HR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.83-0.95) and cancer mortality (HR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81-0.98) for every 10% point increase in the participation rate. For CVD mortality, the association became less significant in the model adjusted for all covariates (HR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.82-1.09).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support the existence of a preventive relationship between community-level group sports participation and the occurrence of all-cause and cancer mortality among older individuals. Promoting group sports within communities holds promise as an effective population-based strategy for extending life expectancy, regardless of individual participation in these groups.

Unveiling disparities: examining differential item functioning's impact on racial health equity among white and black populations

OBJECTIVES

This paper aims to examine the psychometric properties of social capital indicators, comparing Black and White respondents to identify the extent of measurement invariance in social capital by race.

STUDY DESIGN

We used data from the longitudinal study Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), waves 1 through 3 (1995-2016).

METHODS

Data were from 6513 respondents (5604 White and 909 Black respondents). Social capital indicators were social cohesion, contributions to community, and community involvement. We used Structural Equation Modeling and Item Response Theory methods to test for measurement invariance in social capital by race.

RESULTS

We observed violations of longitudinal and multi-group measurement invariance (MI) at configural and metric levels on two scales. Factor structures and indicator loadings were inconsistent over time. In IRT analysis, 'Many people come for advice' exhibited Differential Item Functioning (DIF), indicating a consistent advantage for White respondents on the contributions to community scale. Despite similar social capital levels (P(χ2,2) = 0.00), DIF was found in all contributions to community items and some community involvement items when examining race and education interaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Invariance issues in social capital items suggest potential biases in comparing Black and White respondents. Recognizing these biases is essential. Future social capital research should assess existing data assumptions and involve stakeholders from diverse communities in creating new items.

Social capital and health beliefs: Exploring the effect of bridging and bonding social capital on health locus of control among women in Dhaka

This cross-sectional study examined if social capital affects women's health attributions. The study used the Internet Social Capital Scale (ISCS) and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scale to measure Social Capital and Health Locus of Control. A predefined 38-item questionnaire was used to survey 485 purposively selected women. A bidirectional reciprocal structural equation model was used to measure the covariance between Social Capital and Health Locus of Control. We hypothesized that women with strong social capital, particularly those rich in bridging ties, would exhibit a greater sense of agency and empowerment over their health, attributing their health outcomes less to internal factors like fate and more to external influences like powerful others and broader social support. However, we found that when women have higher social capital, their external health locus of control increases. Bridging and bonding social capital lower women's internal health control, but bridging social capital leads to higher attributes to powerful others. Likewise, we expected women with more social capital would exhibit a lower perception of uncontrollability over their health, but is not the case. The findings underscore the necessity for women to have more social capital.

Supporting each other: Older adults' experiences empowering food security and social inclusion in rural and food desert communities

Older adults vulnerable to food insecurity are at risk of poor psychological and physical health. Poor public infrastructure or proximity to food sources can exacerbate risk of food insecurity. Reduced statutory services for social care has heightened the responsibility on third sector organisations and community-led volunteering, essential to supporting healthy ageing in place and reducing the inequalities of ageing. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how older adults' volunteering with a third sector organisation focused on food access supports food security and builds social capital for socially or economically marginalised older adults within rural and food desert communities. The study aims to bridge the knowledge gap of how volunteering in vulnerable geographies affects food insecurity and community. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven older (55+) volunteer 'meal makers' working with the third sector organisation Food Train and its 'Meal Makers' project. Interview recordings were transcribed and thematically analysed. Ecomap methodology was used to illustrate the lived experiences of older adult volunteers as told through the interviews. Two themes were identified by Thematic Analysis: (1) Networks, connectedness, and exposure to social capital, and (2) Supplementary support. This study finds that older adult volunteers are well placed within community interventions supporting food insecure older adults in rural or food desert communities. Ecomaps demonstrated that high social capital volunteers can mediate food access barriers and highlighted points of local knowledge and social connection. Volunteer engagement provides opportunities for food secure older adults to share local knowledge and build networks of food support and social inclusion for food insecure older adults. Older age volunteering should be advocated as a multi-faceted intervention promoting mutual health and wellbeing in volunteer and beneficiary.

Determinants of self-rated health among highly educated Ukrainian women refugees in Czechia: analysis based on cross-sectional study in 2022

BACKGROUND

Russia's military aggression against Ukraine set in motion a large number of refugees. Considerable amount of them came and stayed in Czechia. Refugees represent special vulnerable individuals often affected by war physically and psychologically. Due to the national regulations not allowing most of Ukrainian men aged 18-60 to leave the country, nowadays Ukrainian forced migration is relatively young and strongly gendered. Evidence suggests the higher probability for searching the safe refuge abroad among Ukrainian women with small children as well as those with relatively higher economic and cultural capital. The aim of this study is to identify the structural features of systemic risks associated with war migration by examining determinants of self-rated health among forcibly displaced highly educated Ukrainian women of productive age residing in Czechia.

METHODS

Data from one wave of the panel survey among Ukrainian refugees in Czechia conducted in September 2022 was used. Determinants of self-rated health including self-reported diseases and healthcare factors, lifestyle, human and social capital, economic factors, and migration characteristics were analysed using binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

About 45% highly educated Ukrainian women refugees in Czechia assessed their health as poor. The poor self-rated health was mostly associated with the number of diseases and depressive symptoms, and by social capital and economic factors. Having four and more diseases (OR = 13.26; 95%-CI: 5.61-31.35), showing some severe depressive symptoms (OR = 7.20; 95%-CI: 3.95-13.13), experiencing difficulties to seek help from others (OR = 2.25; 95%-CI: 1.20-4.23), living alone in a household (OR = 2.67; 95%-CI: 1.37-5.27), having severe material deprivation (OR = 2.70; 95%-CI: 1.35-5.41) and coming originally from the eastern part of Ukraine (OR = 2.96; 95%-CI: 1.34-6.55) increased the chance of these refugees to assess their health as poor.

CONCLUSION

Social and economic determinants such as lack of social contacts for seeking help and material deprivation were found to be crucial for self-rated health and should be tackled via migration policies. Further, qualitative research is needed to better understand the mechanisms behind the factors affecting subjectively assessed health.

Emergency Medical Service responses as latent social capital toward Deliberate Self-Harm, Suicidality and Suicide

Escalation in Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) is indicative of a rise in poor mental health and/or a failure of social and health services. The phenomenon of DSH exacerbates mental illness sequela, while being an essential indicator of suicide risk. Globally, about 800 000 people commit suicide yearly, averaging almost one suicide every 40 s. Based on a Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study, the aim sought to establish the scope of the DSH, suicidality and suicide case-load from a Western Cape Emergency Medical Services (EMS) prehospital perspective. A census of 3 years of EMS Incident Management Records (IMR) from a large rural district with seven local municipalities was undertaken using a novel data collection instrument. The 2976 (N) mental health-related incidents that met the inclusion criteria (from 413 712 cases) suggest a presentation rate of 7 per 1000 EMS calls. Sixty percent (n = 1776) were regarded to have deliberately self-harmed, attempted suicide or committed suicide. Overdose/deliberate self-poisoning accounted for 52% (n = 1550) of all the DSH caseload of the study. Attempted suicide accounted for 2.7% (n = 83) and Suicide for 3.4% (n = 102) of the suicidality case-load from the study, respectively. Suicide averaged 2.8. suicides per month in the Garden Route District over the 3-year period. Men were five times more likely to commit suicide than women, commonly using strangulation, while women mostly ingested household detergents and poison, and overdosed on chronic medication. Understandably, the EMS needs to assess its own capability to respond, treat, and transport health-care users with DSH and suicidality. This study demonstrates the EMS 'everyday' exposure to DSH, suicidality and suicide case-load. It represents a critical first step in the problem-space definition upon which a determination of the need for EMS responses can be based, to interrupt suicidality by removing methods of harm and strengthening the mental health economy through social capital investment.

Dynamics of Mortuary Practices in Nagaland: Exploring the Impact of Social Capital

Nagas are a small Indigenous tribal community that inhabits the northeastern region of India. It is inhabited by seventeen recognized tribes including non-Naga tribe of Kuki and Kachari with rich cultural diversity and customary practices. Modernity has been one of the most debated topics, in this regard the paper argues on the responsibility of modernity. The study mainly focuses on the two major tribes of Nagaland that is the Ao tribe and the Angami tribe, as to how the cultural practices in disposing of death is contested and negotiated in contemporary society. Thus, drawing from an ethnohistorical perspective and empirical study, the article depicts how modernity and development tremendously transformed the traditional structure, however, homogeneity in the form of social capital still persists in a heterogeneous society.

Effects of social capital and technology cognition on farmers' adoption of soil and water conservation tillage technology in the Loess Plateau of China

From the aspect of regional differences, this paper investigated the impact of social capital and technology cognition on the adoption of soil and water conservation tillage technology in the Loess Plateau in China. We find social networks and social trust had significant impact on the adoption of contour tillage technology by farmers in Shanxi and Shaanxi. Social participation had a significant impact in Shaanxi, whereas social prestige had a significant impact in Gansu, and social norms had a significant impact on the adoption of contour tillage technology in the three provinces. Technology cognition played an intermediary role in the effects of social networks, social trust, and social norms on technology adoption in Shaanxi and Shanxi, and on the impact of social norms on technology adoption in Gansu. Considering social networks, the frequency of communication between farmers and villagers had the greatest impact on technology adoption in Shanxi and Shaanxi, while farmers' trust in villagers had the greatest impact on technology adoption in these two provinces. The participation in collective activities in the village had the greatest impact on technology adoption in Shaanxi. Furthermore as for social prestige there was little difference in the degree of impact of observation variables on technology adoption by farmers in Gansu. Finally, regarding social norms, the attitudes and behaviors adopted by relative's friends, and villagers in the village had the greatest impact.

Social capital for carers of patients with advanced organ failure: a qualitative exploration of stakeholders' perspectives

BACKGROUND

Carers of patients with advanced organ failure (AOF) experience a tremendous caregiving burden. Social capital utilizes the internal strength of a community to support its members and may provide carers with comprehensive support. This study aimed to identify the different sources of social capital that can support carers of patients with AOF from the perspectives of stakeholders.

METHOD

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in community settings from April 2021 to May 2022. Stakeholders from medical social work departments, self-help groups, and non-governmental organizations were recruited, while some community members were invited through online media platforms. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview guide. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative description approach. In total, 98 stakeholders, including 25 carers, 25 patients, 24 professionals, and 24 community members, were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling.

RESULTS

Six categories about social capital for carers emerged, namely, carer attributes, the community, social care services, healthcare services, information, and policies. While the attributes of carers and their relationships with care recipients had a significant influence on caregiving, support from different groups in the community, such as neighbors and employers, was valued. Good communication of information about caregiving and social services was emphasized as being helpful by carers and other stakeholders. While carers presented a need for various healthcare and social care services, several features of these services, including their person-centeredness and proactive reach, were deemed useful. At the societal level, policies and research on comprehensive supportive services are warranted. The different sources of social capital constitute a multi-layer support system in the community.

CONCLUSION

Carers can utilize personal attributes, interpersonal relationships, community resources, and societal contexts to enhance their caregiving. While this system can serve as a framework for building carer-friendly communities, interventions may be required to strengthen some aspects of social capital.

Networked lives: Probing the influence of social networks on the life course

Social network research is well-equipped to help life course scholars produce a deeper and more nuanced approach to the principle of "linked lives," one of the cornerstones of the field. In this issue on Networked Lives, nine original articles and two commentaries generate new theories, empirical findings and methodological applications at the intersection of the fields of social networks and life course research. In this introduction, we reflect on these advances, highlighting key findings and challenges that await scholars in building more robust synergy between the two fields. Social networks emerge as key structural forces in life courses, yet there is much to learn about the mechanisms through which their effects on people's lives come about. There is a need to study further how networks evolve through the rhythm of life events, and to analyze broader and more complex networks that capture the roles and influences of relations beyond intimate or family ties. These papers demonstrate that there is much to be gained in probing how individuals are linked to and unlinked from others over time, and in carrying conceptual and methodological advances across social network and life course studies.

Betting on the House: The Impact of Gambling on Homeownership in Australia

Gambling is commonly associated with social and economic disadvantage. In this paper we examine the impact of gambling on homeownership, using Australian panel data. We find that gambling is associated with a lower probability of homeownership. Specifically, our endogeneity corrected estimates show that an increase in problem gambling is associated with between 1.6 and 1.8 percentage point decrease in the probability of owning a home depending on the model. Our result show that financial stress and social capital are channels through which gambling influences the probability of homeownership.

The role of health and health systems in promoting social capital, political participation and peace: A narrative review

High levels of violence and insecurity are highly detrimental for societies. United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 is advocating for peaceful, accountable and inclusive institutions as one powerful channel to foster global development. Investing in health and health policies can potentially contribute achieving these objectives. After providing a conceptual framework, this article reviews the existing literature on the evidence of the role of health and health systems in promoting social capital and trust, political engagement and participation, and peace that closely relate to the objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 16. We provide evidence of a systematically positive impact of better physical and mental health on social capital, and on political participation, both contributing to the sustainability of inclusive democratic institutions. We also document that health and health systems can help supporting peace, both via the reduction of social inequality and grievances, and by reducing the disruptive effects of epidemic shocks. Overall, the study provides evidence that health and health systems can generate co-benefits outside the health domain by promoting social capital, political participation and peace.

The health and welfare effects of environmental governance: Evidence from China

Environmental regulations aim to reduce pollution and improve air quality and the health of residents. However, there is a lack of research focusing on the health and welfare effects of low-carbon city pilot policies. In this context, this study takes China's low-carbon city pilot policy as an entry point, focuses on the health effects of public environmental governance, and systematically investigates the effects and mechanisms of low-carbon city development on the health of middle-aged and elderly people by applying the difference-in-differences method. The study finds that low-carbon city (LCC) policy significantly improves the physical and mental health of middle-aged and elderly people, and the main transmission mechanism is the reduction in air pollution and improvement in social capital. These results hold following a series of robustness tests. Furthermore, low-carbon city construction can reduce hospitalization and outpatient costs for people over 45 years old by up to 3 % and 15.5 %, respectively. The findings of this study provide useful policy insights for ensuring sustainable improvement in environmental quality and public health.

Financing and provision of healthcare for two billion people in low-income nations: Is the cooperative healthcare model a solution?

The international consensus in support of universal health coverage (UHC), though commendable, thus far lacks a clear mechanism to finance and deliver accessible and effective basic healthcare to the two billion rural residents and informal workers of low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs). Importantly, the two preferred financing modes for UHC, general tax revenue and social health insurance, are often infeasible for LLMICs. We identify from historical examples a community-based model that we argue shows promise as a solution to this problem. This model, which we call Cooperative Healthcare (CH), is characterized by community-based risk-pooling and governance and prioritizes primary care. CH leverages communities' existing social capital, such that even those for whom the private benefit of enrolling in a CH scheme is outweighed by the cost may choose to enroll (given sufficient social capital). For CH to be scalable, it needs to demonstrate that it can organize delivery of accessible and reasonable-quality primary healthcare that people value, with management accountable to the communities themselves through structures that people trust, combined with government legitimacy. Once LLMICs with CH programs have industrialized sufficiently to make universal social health insurance feasible, CH schemes can be rolled into such universal programs. We defend cooperative healthcare's suitability for this bridging role and urge LLMIC governments to launch experiments testing it out, with careful adaptation to local conditions.

Negotiating access to community-based participatory research

PURPOSE

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) that improves social capital can be a powerful tool for promoting mental health and well-being. This work explores what gaining, maintaining, and losing access to this type of CBPR looks like from a reflexive research perspective.

METHOD

I describe and reflect on my experiences conducting a mixed-methods study of an existing CBPR to increase social capital in Switzerland. I draw on ethnographic observations, field notes, and reflexive memos collected during fieldwork between 2016 and 2020.

RESULTS

I negotiated access to the CBPR across three levels: (1) formal organizational with intervention leaders, (2) implementational with facilitators, and (3) the community/group level with participants. Intervention leaders let me conduct research if they benefitted from my work in a timely and reinforcing way, facilitators granted access if I made myself helpful and supported their work, and community members accepted me if I participated in their community meaningfully. I lost access when my findings posed a potential risk to the intervention funding.

CONCLUSION

I highlight how access is a fluid and complex process that can change throughout CBPR. I show the importance of reflexive analysis to understand how access is negotiated in diverse settings, what sources of social capital are needed to engage in these negotiations, and how positionality and power play a role in this process.

Capital sharing and socialization in an interprofessional student-led clinic: a Bourdieuan analysis

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional student-led clinics offer authentic clinical experiences of collaborative patient care. However, theoretical research on the sustainability of these clinics, considering forms of capital beyond the economic, remains limited. This study addresses this gap by employing Bourdieu's theoretical framework to explore how alternative conceptions of capital; both social and cultural might sustain conditions for interprofessional working in a student-led clinic serving patients living with a chronic neurological impairment.

METHODS

The teaching and learning focussed clinic was established in 2018 to mirror a clinical service. Semi-structured focus groups with participants involving 20 students from 5 professions and 11 patients gathered in-depth insights into their experiences within the clinic. A thematic analysis was guided by Bourdieu's concepts of field, habitus, and capital.

RESULTS

In the complex landscape of the student-led clinic, at the intersection of a patient support group, a hospital-based aged care facility, and university-based healthcare professions, three pivotal mechanisms emerged underpinning its sustainability: Fostering students' disposition to interprofessional care, Capitalizing on collaboration and patient empowerment, and a Culture of mutual exchange of capital. These themes illustrate how students and patients specific dispositions towards interprofessional healthcare enriched their habitus by focusing on shared patient well-being goals. Diverse forms of capital exchanged by students and patients fostered trust, respect, and mutual empowerment, enhancing the clinic experience.

CONCLUSION

This study bridges an important gap in theoretically informed explorations of the conditions for sustaining student-led clinics, drawing on Bourdieu's theory. It accentuates the significance of investment of diverse forms of capital in such clinics beyond the economic, whilst emphasizing a primary commitment to advancing interprofessional healthcare expertise. Recognizing patients as equal partners shapes clinic dynamics. In order for student clinics to thrive in a sustainable fashion, educators must shift their focus beyond solely maximizing financial resources. Instead, they should champion investments in a wider range of capital forms. This requires active participation from all stakeholders; faculties, patient partners, service providers, and students. These findings underscore the importance of investing in interprofessional learning by optimizing various forms of capital, and embracing patients as dynamic contributors to the clinic's sustainability.

Socioeconomic inequalities in depressive symptoms in China: The role of social capital

This cohort study used the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2015-2018) to investigate the effects of socioeconomic status and social capital to the incidence of depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older individuals in China, incorporating a sample size of 9949 participants. Socioeconomic status, social capital and other explanatory variables were collected in 2015, while depressive symptoms were assessed in 2018. Basic characteristics and social capital measures were compared between urban and rural residents using the chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status, social capital and depressive symptoms, and the Karlson, Holm, and Breen (KHB) method was employed to verify the mediating role of social capital. We reported persistent socioeconomic inequalities in depressive symptoms, with rural residents and the illiterate having 1.45 times and 1.34 times higher odds of depression. We ascertained social capital from both the cognitive and structural constructs, where we enriched the measurement of structural social capital from three specific dimensions, i.e., informal interaction, altruism, and formal social participation. We found that both cognitive and structural social capital were associated with lower incidence of depressive symptoms, where informal interaction had the largest effect. The mediation analysis further illustrated that informal interaction contributed most to explain 6 %-12 % of the socioeconomic inequalities in depressive symptoms. These results highlighted the unsatisfied mental wellbeing of the vulnerable older people living in rural areas. The finding suggested that older people may benefit more from personal interactions than formal participations. To fulfill the Health in All vision, government and social organizations should consider how to create opportunities to better integrate the older people into the community.

How do urban green spaces influence heat-related mortality in elderly? A realist synthesis

BACKGROUND

An important consequence of climate change for urban health is heat-related mortality. Vulnerable groups, especially elderly, will be the most affected. A solution put forward in many reports and policy documents is the introduction or expansion of urban green spaces. While they have a proven effect in decreasing the ambient temperature and reducing heat related mortality, the causal pathways are far from clear. Moreover, results vary for different contexts, population types and characteristics of green spaces as they are 'complex systems thrusted into complex systems'. To our knowledge, there is no systematic synthesis of the literature that examines the mechanisms by which and the circumstances under which green spaces work to decrease heat-related mortality for elderly.

METHODS

We performed a realist synthesis- a theory-driven review method- to develop a complexity- and context-sensitive program theory. As a first step, a causal loop diagram was constructed which describes the possible pathways through which urban green spaces influence heat-related mortality in elderly. In a second step, one of the pathways - how they may lead to a reduction of heat-related mortality by increasing social capital - was further explored for underlying mechanisms, the context in which they work and the differentiated patterns of outcomes they generate. Literature was searched for evidence supporting or contradicting the initial programme theory, resulting in a refined theory.

RESULTS

Results show how urban green space can impact on heat-related mortality in elderly by its influence on their exposure to outdoor and indoor heat, by improving their resilience as well as by affecting their access to treatment. Urban green spaces and their interactions with social capital affect the access to health information, social support, and the capacity for effective lobbying. Several mechanisms help to explain these observed demi-regularities, among others perceived behavioural control, perceived usefulness, receptiveness, ontological security, and self-interest. If and how they are triggered depends on the characteristics of the urban green space, the population, and other contextual factors.

CONCLUSION

Looking into the impact of urban green spaces on heat-related mortality in elderly, researchers and policy makers should take interest in the role of social capital.

"People are now working together for a common good": The effect on social capital of participatory design for community-level sanitation infrastructure in urban informal settlements

Communities with higher levels of social capital perform better than communities with lower social capital in community-level water and sanitation interventions and have better health outcomes. Although research recommends bolstering social capital to improve intervention outcomes, few studies provide empirical evidence on the effect of intervention activities on social capital. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of participatory design and community engagement activities on social capital among urban informal settlements in Suva, Fiji and Makassar, Indonesia enrolled in the Revitalizing Informal Settlements and their Environments trial using the Short Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool. We performed confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to test tool performance and built structural equation models to assess intervention effect on CFA-informed, sub-scale scores for cognitive and structural social capital. Qualitative in-depth interviews in Fiji and Indonesia and focus group discussions in Fiji provided nuanced understanding of intervention effects on social capital from residents' perspectives. Results confirmed the hypothesized two-factor solution but revealed differences by country and by gender in Indonesia. The intervention appeared positively related to cognitive social capital among men and women in Indonesia and negatively related to cognitive and structural social capital among men and women in Fiji. While effect sizes were small and cluster-adjustment for a small number of settlements yielded non-significant effects, trends were consistent across models and bivariate analyses and were corroborated by qualitative findings. Several contextual factors may explain these results, including timing and duration of intervention activities and influence of COVID-19. Qualitative data suggested that the relationship between participatory design and social capital may be bidirectional, helping to explain why certain settlements appeared to be better equipped to benefit from intervention activities. Practitioners and program designers should carefully consider the social pre-conditions of communities in which they intend to work to optimize program outcomes and avoid unintended consequences.

Interdependent culture and older adults' well-being: Health and psychological happiness in Japanese communities

This review article examined perspectives on the well-being and health of older adults in Japan, a nation renowned for its longevity. We emphasized the impact of social capital and social relationships in local communities, considering both individual and societal factors. The prevailing values in Japanese culture tend to foster a sustained and stable form of interdependent happiness among older adults, suggesting that communal support systems play an important role. This article highlights the value of multi-level datasets, such as the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) dataset, for understanding the influence of social participation on the health and well-being of older adults. A growing body of evidence underscores the central role of social relationships in the health and well-being of older adults.

Anthropogenic impacts on urban blue space and its reciprocal effect on human and socio-ecological health

Quantifying anthropogenic impacts on blue space (BS) and its effect on human and socio-ecological health was least explored. The present study aimed to do this in reference to the urban BS transformation scenario of Eastern India. To measure BS transformation, Landsat image-based water indices were run from 1990 to 2021. Anthropogenic impact score (AIS) and 7 components scores of 78 selected BS on 70 parameters related data driven from the field. Total 345 respondents were taken for human and socio-ecological health assessment. For this, depression (DEP), anxiety (ANX), stress (STR), physical activities (PA), social capital (SC), therapeutic landscape (TL) and environment building (EB) parameters were taken. The result exhibited that BS was reduced. About 50% of urban core BS was reported highly impacted. Human and socio-ecological health was identified as good in proximity to BS, but it was observed better in the cases of larger peripheral BS. AIS on BS was found to be positively associated with mental health (0.47-0.63) and negatively associated with PA, SC, TL and EB (-0.50 to -0.90). Standard residual in ordinary least square was reported low (-1.5 to 1.5) in 95% BS. Therefore, BS health restoration and management is crucial for sustaining the living environment.

Association between social capital and quality of life in older adults with subjective cognitive decline: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is increasingly recognized as a clinical and medical risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Currently, there is little evidence regarding the quality of life (QoL) in older adults with SCD and the impact of social capital on their QoL.

AIMS

To examine the perceptions of social capital and QoL among older adults with SCD.

METHODS

A total of 325 participants (92.9 % response rate) with a self-reported diagnosis of SCD completed the Chinese version of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, the Chinese Shortened Social Capital Scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. A t-test was used to compare the QoL score of our sample with the Chinese norm. Pearson correlation analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis were used to assess the association of social capital with QoL.

RESULTS

Social capital were strongly correlated with the total QoL, as well as its physical component summary and mental component summary. The QoL score of older adults with SCD was significantly lower than the Chinese norm (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that social capital, physical activity, nutrition and anxiety symptoms were factors associated with QoL among older SCD population (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The findings of the current study suggest that older adults with SCD may experience lower QoL. Social capital is associated with the QoL in older adults with SCD. These findings have implications for clinicians who work with older adults with SCD.

Exploring the impact of social capital, institutional quality and political stability on environmental sustainability: New insights from NARDL-PMG

The social aspect of sustainable development is often considered the least strong component, particularly in terms of its analytical and theoretical foundations. Although there has been a recent increase in focus on social sustainability, the relationship between the environmental aspect and social capital is still not well understood. This research seeks to explore initial concepts on frameworks for analyzing the interface between environmental and social capital. However, to demonstrated the core connection of social capital, institutional quality, income and renewable energy consumption with sustainability level (CO2 emissions) in the BRICS economies from 1996 to 2021. Specifically, this study uses advanced techniques such as Non-ARDL, Pooled Mean Group, the Augmented Mean Group and Common Correlated Effect Mean Group. However, under the linear outcomes, social capital, law & order, government stability, political stability and income decline the emissions levels. However, renewable energy consumption shows the positive association with rising emissions in BRICS countries. Interestingly, under the non-linear form, study outcomes describe social capital, and law & order contribute to environmental quality, while government & political stability spur the level of emissions in the long-run. Also, this study provides some core implications to meet the desired sustainability level.

Pandemic effects on social capital in residents and non-residents of Chinese immigrant enclaves in Philadelphia

The COVID-19 pandemic's effect on established Chinese ethnic enclaves, which faced socio-economic disruptions as well as anti-Asian sentiment, is unknown. We compared the pandemic's effect on social capital among residents and non-residents of Chinese ethnic enclaves in Philadelphia. Despite declines in group participation and citizenship activity (joining with others or speaking with local officials to address a neighborhood problem), the pandemic increased support received from other individuals and cognitive social capital (e.g., neighborhood trust and sense of belonging), with more pronounced changes in enclaves. Our findings provide evidence of both greater vulnerability and resilience in terms of social capital among Chinese immigrants during the pandemic. Understanding the pandemic's effects on social capital in different neighborhood contexts can underscore communities' strengths, and ways to improve resilience to future challenges.

Social media use and social capital: Social media usage habits and perceptions of school administrators

Social media allows people to spend time together online and interact and connect. The relationship between well-being and social media usage is being studied more and more because it affects many areas and is discussed from different aspects. In this study, a complete count was made, and an online questionnaire was applied to all 1282 school administrators working at Antalya Provincial National Education public schools. Results reveal how the social media usage habits and social media perceptions of school administrators are, and accordingly how social media may help fertilize their social capital and establishing a healthy work environment. In light of the findings, social media usage habits are gathered under four dimensions: research/information, entertainment, recognition, and development. These gratified needs are the key elements of building one's social capital.

The predictors of social capital in agricultural consultation, technical, and engineering service companies

Social capital is an essential type of capital that influences the growth and development of societies. The present descriptive-survey research aimed to capture CEOs' social capital predictors in the agricultural consultation, technical, and engineering service companies in Fars province, Iran. The CEOs, who amounted to 107 people, all participated in the research. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire whose content and face validity were confirmed by a panel of experts and whose reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha at 0.82. Data were analyzed in the SPSS22 software package. Based on data analysis, eight social capital items were derived and prioritized. They included social participation, social proactivity, social trust, neighborhood connections, friends and family connections, capacity to accept differences, appreciation of life, and work connections. Based on the ranking of these elements, social proactivity, work connections, and friends and family connections were ranked first to third, respectively. Also, step-by-step multiple regression analysis revealed that the three variables of the feeling of job security, investment, and media were the independent variables that accounted for the CEO's social capital. Programs provided by the media should focus on promoting people's social solidarity. Some investment must be made by these companies in social activities and encouragement of the target community's participation and trust. The success of the agricultural consultation, technical, and engineering service companies is based on the principles of specialty, trust, participation, and social solidarity, showing the existence of social capital in these companies. Therefore, social capital and factors that predict it influence the productivity and efficiency of the companies.

"We are not our case files": A qualitative analysis of child welfare professionals' relationships with young adults with foster care experience

BACKGROUND

Young adults of color with foster care experience are disproportionately represented in foster care in the United States. Developing meaningful connections with child welfare professionals can help young adults develop healthy relationships in emerging adulthood.

OBJECTIVE

This exploratory qualitative study addressed how young adults with foster care experience described their relationships with child welfare professionals and the impact of these relationships on their overall mental health and well-being in young adulthood.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A sample of young adults of color, (ages 18-29) with lived experience in foster care from a performing arts program in New York City.

METHODS

Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted on 14 semi-structured interviews with young adults of color with prior or ongoing foster care experience.

RESULTS

The following themes were identified: safe space to be myself, listen to more than words, and understand my trauma. Child welfare professionals were dropped from support networks if they were disingenuous or did not attend to their own self-care needs.

CONCLUSIONS

The study underscores the importance of promoting positive mental health outcomes for young adults through building stronger connections with child welfare professionals. Future research should explore the incorporation of individualized approaches to better serve this population of young adults.

Between ethnic diversity and immigration: Perceptions toward immigrants in a globalizing world

This study examines how ethnic diversity and immigration at the national level influence individual perceptions toward immigrants in a cross-national context. Including both Western and non-Western countries, we specifically explore whether cumulative exposure to ethnic diversity and the current size of immigrants have dissimilar effects on individual perceptions. Results from multilevel regression analysis suggest that the level of ethnic diversity is positively associated with perceptions toward immigrants, while the number of immigrants is negatively related to immigrant perceptions. Furthermore, we find that social capital matters in reshaping these relationships: At least for individuals having high levels of social capital, the relationship between living in an ethnically diverse society and their favorable perceptions toward immigrants is strengthened while the association between observing a large number of immigrants and having negative perceptions is weakened. This research provides implications for understanding cross-national difference of individual perceptions on immigrants in our diversifying world.

Genetic endowments for social capital: An investigation accounting for genetic nurturing effects

Despite social capital having been shown to be important for health and well-being, relatively little research has examined genetic determinants. Genetic endowments for education have been shown to influence human, financial, and health capital, but few studies have examined social capital, and those conducted have yet to account for genetic nurturing. We used the Add-Health data to study the effect of genetic endowments on individual social capital using the education polygenic score (PGS). We used sibling fixed effects models and controlled for the family environment to account for genetic nurturing. After accounting for the family environment, we found moderately large significant associations between the education PGS and volunteering, but associations with religious service attendance and number of friends were completely attenuated in sibling fixed effects models. These findings highlight that genetic endowments play an important role in influencing volunteering and the importance of accounting for genetic nurturing.

Strengthening social capital in the Sri Lankan population: A qualitative exploration of factors driving the mothers' support groups initiative during economic crisis

Background

Social capital is a concept that has been identified to improve health outcomes in many populations. Due to COVID-19 and many other factors, Sri Lanka faced a massive economic crisis that affected the nutrition of communities. Many community engagement initiatives have begun to promote the country's nutrition during the worst-hit years. The Mothers' Support Groups initiative is one of the existing community engagement initiatives that is well known for strengthening community social capital. This article discusses how the Mothers' Support Groups (MSG) initiative in Sri Lanka contributed to improving social capital in Sri Lanka during the economic crisis, focusing on nutrition.

Methods

We conducted a case study on the activities undertaken by mothers' support groups in view of how they focused on social capital. We selected all activities presented by districts that improved social capital related to nutrition promotion captured in the YouTube video stream. We analyzed these qualitative data to identify the main themes related to social capital and nutritional promotion. Two coders transcribed the video recordings. We analyzed the data using the iterative thematic inquiry (ITI) method and initially assessed beliefs about concepts, building new beliefs through encounters with data, listing tentative themes, and evaluating themes through coding.

Results

Six major themes were identified (that social capital had been strengthened to promote nutrition): awareness creation of nutrition, home gardening promotion, promoting livestock farming, minimizing food waste, improving the home economy, and psychosocial health promotion. The most common forms of social capital encountered in these themes were bonding, bridging, and linking. Furthermore, strengthening structural social capital is more prominent than strengthening cognitive social capital.

Conclusion

Social capital can improve nutritional status during crises. Activities that can be used to achieve this vary from simple awareness creation among communities to more advanced psychosocial health promotion. Overall, social capital contributed to the community development aspect of health promotion to a greater extent.

"One community at a time": promoting community resilience in the face of natural hazards and public health challenges

BACKGROUND

Resilience is vital for facing natural disasters and public health challenges. Despite the significance of resilience-building activities, there is a scarcity of locally-tailored planning and response strategies, leaving communities incapable of addressing the unique challenges posed by natural disasters and public health crises. This study aims to explore how the "One Community at a Time" approach enhances community resilience in facing natural hazards and public health challenges.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted over journal articles published from January 2001 to April 2023 through PRISMA approach. Multiple databases such as Web of Science and Scopus were thoroughly searched. We used independent screening by two researchers and painstaking data extraction using standardized forms. This approach was adopted to assure the reliability, validity, and precision of our study selection and analysis. The included studies' quality was evaluated by the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

RESULTS

In the evaluation, 35 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion and underwent in-depth examination. Several major components of "One Community at a Time" have been identified, including social capital and networks, local knowledge and learning, effective governance and leadership, preparedness and response capacity, and adaptive infrastructure and resources. This framework highlights the significance of individualized approaches to resilience-building initiatives, recognizing that each community has specific strengths, needs, and challenges.

CONCLUSION

Relevant stakeholders can adapt suitable resilient strategies to help prepare and recover from natural hazards and public health challenges. By adopting a localized strategy, stakeholders can collaborate to develop a culture of readiness and resilience, ultimately leading to more sustainable and resilient communities. This framework advises community-based groups, local government, and other stakeholders on prioritizing partnerships, preparedness planning, community participation, and leadership as essential components of creating and maintaining resilience. "One Community at a Time" framework offers practical guidance for community-based organizations, local government, and other stakeholders to prioritize partnerships, preparedness planning, community participation, and leadership as essential components of creating and sustaining resilience.

Examining the role of community resilience and social capital on mental health in public health emergency and disaster response: a scoping review

The ability of the public to remain psychologically resilient in the face of public health emergencies and disasters (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) is a key factor in the effectiveness of a national response to such events. Community resilience and social capital are often perceived as beneficial and ensuring that a community is socially and psychologically resilient may aid emergency response and recovery. This review presents a synthesis of literature which answers the following research questions: How are community resilience and social capital quantified in research?; What is the impact of community resilience on mental wellbeing?; What is the impact of infectious disease outbreaks, disasters and emergencies on community resilience and social capital?; and, What types of interventions enhance community resilience and social capital?A scoping review procedure was followed. Searches were run across Medline, PsycInfo, and EMBASE, with search terms covering both community resilience and social capital, public health emergencies, and mental health. 26 papers met the inclusion criteria.The majority of retained papers originated in the USA, used a survey methodology to collect data, and involved a natural disaster. There was no common method for measuring community resilience or social capital. The association between community resilience and social capital with mental health was regarded as positive in most cases. However, we found that community resilience, and social capital, were initially negatively impacted by public health emergencies and enhanced by social group activities.Several key recommendations are proposed based on the outcomes from the review, which include: the need for a standardised and validated approach to measuring both community resilience and social capital; that there should be enhanced effort to improve preparedness to public health emergencies in communities by gauging current levels of community resilience and social capital; that community resilience and social capital should be bolstered if areas are at risk of disasters or public health emergencies; the need to ensure that suitable short-term support is provided to communities with high resilience in the immediate aftermath of a public health emergency or disaster; the importance of conducting robust evaluation of community resilience initiatives deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults: an eight-year multi-trajectory analysis

BACKGROUND

Frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms are closely interrelated conditions in the aging population. However, limited research has longitudinally analyzed the concurrent trajectories of these three prominent conditions in older adults in China. This study aimed to explore the eight-year trajectories of frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms, and to identify individual-level and structural-level factors associated with the trajectories.

METHODS

Four waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2018) were used to identify 6,106 eligible older adults. The main measures included frailty by the frailty index constructed using 30 indicators, cognitive impairment by the summary score of immediate and delayed word recall, figure drawing, serial subtraction, and orientation, and depressive symptoms by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Multi-trajectory models identified the trajectories of frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms over time. Multinomial logistic regression was employed to estimate the associations between individual-level capital factors and one structural factor (hukou and geographic residency) with the identified trajectories, adjusting for demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Four trajectories emerged: (1) worsening frailty, worsening cognitive impairment, depression (14.0%); (2) declining pre-frailty, declining cognition, borderline depression (20.0%); (3) pre-frailty, worsening cognitive impairment, no depression (29.3%); and (4) physically robust, declining cognition, no depression (36.7%). Using the "physically robust, declining cognition, no depression" as the reference, not working, no social activity participant, worse childhood family financial situation, and poorer adult health were most strongly associated with the "worsening frailty, worsening cognitive impairment, depression" trajectory; worse health during childhood had the highest association with the "declining pre-frailty, declining cognition, borderline depression" trajectory; less education, lower household consumption, and rural hukou had the greatest association with the increased likelihood of the "pre-frailty, worsening cognitive impairment, no depression" trajectory.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings could inform the understanding of the interrelationship of frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms in older adults in China and may help practitioners detect adults at risk for adverse trajectories to implement strategies for proper care.

Social Climate, Uncertainty and Fertility Intentions: from the Great Recession to the Covid-19 Crisis

The literature on fertility in context of crises considers major crises exclusively as economic experiences, however, they are also social phenomena, affecting communities, morality and social interactions. When changes in the social climate are of a sufficient magnitude, they tend to break down the social fabric and generate additional uncertainty, more of a social form, which may affect reproductive decisions beyond economic uncertainty alone. Applying Fixed Effects Models to 18 waves of the Swiss Household Panel (2004-2021), this study evaluates the relationship between changes in social climate and social uncertainty and first and second order childbearing intentions, net of economic uncertainty, sociodemographic determinants and unobserved time-invariant individual and local area characteristics. Canton-level mean and variance of generalized trust and optimism about the future are used as proxies of the quality and the unpredictability of the social climate respondents live in. Besides parity, the study explores period variation by comparing the time around the Great Recession (before, during and after) and the years around the Covid-19 pandemic. Results show that the worsening of the social climate and its growing uncertainty correlate with lower and more uncertain first and second birth intentions. Yet, important parity-period interactions emerge.

Social Determinants of Child Undernutrition in Adivasi Population in Northern Kerala: A Study Using Syndemic Framework

OBJECTIVES

To understand the complex interaction of structural inequalities, co-occurring health conditions, and child undernutrition among the Adivasi population in North Kerala, India.

METHODS

A mixed-method approach was employed in this study, which combined a cross-sectional survey and a case study design. A multistage cluster sampling method was used to select 167 children aged 24 to 60 mo from the study population. The mothers of these children were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to assess individual, parental, and household-level factors associated with child undernutrition. Two Paniya settlements, one with a high prevalence of child undernutrition (HPS) and the other with a low prevalence (LPS), were chosen as the primary units of the case study.

RESULTS

The study found that the absence of a kitchen garden with fruits and vegetables [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.85; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-7.81] and a history of cough and fever (AOR 2.93; 95% CI: 1.24-6.93) were both associated with a higher risk of undernutrition in children. The case studies revealed that Adivasi children are undernourished due to a complex set of factors that persist throughout their lives, including unequal access to social capital, healthcare, and food security, as well as differences in hygiene practices due to the lack of access to clean water and sanitation.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings underscore the need for social interventions to complement the current focus almost entirely on food supplementation programmes. Equitable action on Adivasi child malnutrition requires urgent policy and programmatic attention to social inequalities and access to basic amenities in Adivasi areas.

Association of community-level social capital with dementia: A multilevel nine-year longitudinal study using data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study

BACKGROUND

Individual-level social capital prevents cognitive decline. However, a few studies have focused on the effects of community-level social capital on dementia. Therefore, we investigated the association between community-level social capital and dementia onset based on longitudinal study data on older adults in Japan.

METHODS

We used longitudinal data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, obtained over nine years (2010-2019). In total, 35,921 physically and cognitively independent individuals (16,848 males and 19,073 females) aged ≥65 years and nested within 308 communities in seven municipalities participated in the study. Dementia onset was assessed using the public long-term care insurance registration. Social capital was assessed using three dimensions: civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity. We performed a two-level multilevel survival analysis stratified by sex, calculated hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

During the follow-up, 6245 (17.4%) dementia onset cases were identified. The cumulative incidence of dementia was 16.2% in males and 18.4% in females. After adjusting for covariates, individual-level civic participation was associated with a lower incidence of dementia in both males and females (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.77-0.92; HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.73-0.84). Community-level civic participation and social cohesion were associated with a lower incidence of dementia among females (HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-0.99; HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.98) and cross-level interaction on social cohesion among females (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.90-0.99).

CONCLUSIONS

Living in a community with high civic participation and social cohesion is associated with a lower incidence of dementia among older females. Therefore, promoting civic participation and social cohesion in the community may be a useful population-based strategy to delay or prevent the onset of dementia.

Peer Support to Enhance Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Among African American and Latino Adults

Social support occurs within complex social networks that are diffusely embedded within the social determinants of health. Social networks operate through five primary interconnected pathways: (1) provision of social support; (2) social influence; (3) social engagement; (4) social capital; and (5) social cohesion. Research has demonstrated that increased social support can have a beneficial impact on Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) prevention and outcomes through culturally tailored Diabetes Prevention Programs in minority communities. Further research is needed to fully measure the impact of social network peer support on T2DM outcomes to better operationalize and scale up community specific interventions.

A sociological study of the significance of identity and ageing in a North Sami community

This article explored experiences of ageing from interviews with a sample drawn from a population living in a North Sami community. Our focus is on older adult's involvement in activities that emphasise and maintain them as participants in specific kinds of activities that require knowledge, skills and mentorship, and to what degree it provides them with social capital and ethnic identity. We present data from in-depth interviews with female and male inhabitants ranging from 29 to 75 years of age. Thematic analysis of the data indicates that social capital and identity are particularly apparent within three contexts: 1. family and social relationships, 2. reindeer herding and other traditional labour and 3. Sami language. We conclude that older people hold vital positions in the local community regarding these three contexts. They transfer and reproduce cultural competence, and they manifest their roles and positions as active and valuable cultural members and practical contributors to the community. Their cultural involvement is not performed for their own advantage but is a regular part of their everyday lives, benefiting their special position within this sociocultural context and creating social capital.

Associations of screen use with physical activity and social capital amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A network analysis of youths in China

Inconsistent correlations of screen use with physical activity (PA) and social capital (SC) in youths have been observed in existing cross-sectional studies. This study aimed to elucidate associations among variables in screen use, PA, and SC domains during COVID-19, to improve the prediction and prevention of suboptimal health status in youths. An online survey based on the nationwide COVID-19 Impact on Lifestyle Change Survey (COINLICS) was conducted in China, and 10,082 youths reported their screen use, PA, and SC in the months immediately before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Cross-sectional and longitudinal network models were used to identify associations of variables in domains of screen use with PA and SC. Effect modifications of bridges and predictors in the associations were examined. The network models suggested that individual SC was a bridge that strongly connected other types of SC, and domains of screen use and PA before lockdown, while phone use became such a bridge during and after lockdown. More PC/TV use before lockdown predicted less household-related PA during lockdown (β = -0.142); more phone use during lockdown was a predictor for higher levels of household-related PA (β = 0.106), active transport (β = 0.096), and individual SC (β = 0.072) after lockdown. Phone use was negatively associated with PA through PC/TV use in the more phone use subgroup. Relationships among screen use, PA, and SC dynamically changed during COVID-19, and phone use that was identified as a bridge and a predictor may be the potential action point for health intervention in youths during lockdown.

Frailty and Environmental Attributes in Older Adults: Insight from an Ecological Model

Many studies on frailty have primarily focused on individual-level risk factors such as demographics and lifestyle. While guidelines for frailty management recommend modifications to an individual's lifestyle, their lifestyle behaviors are significantly influenced by their surroundings. Recently, the association between frailty and environmental attributes has drawn attention as a result of the increase in evidence that multiple factors affect health conditions and behaviors associated with frailty. These findings can be organized based on an ecological model involving five nested levels that influence an individual's behaviors, namely, an intrapersonal/individual core (age, education, and attitude), an interpersonal level (persons and groups), an organizational/institutional level (organization and workplace), a community level (natural, built, and social environments), and a system/public policy level (public policies from local to national). This study reviewed possible factors associated with frailty from the onset and its progression at each level of the ecological model and their implications regarding frailty prevention. Additionally, we introduce a policy-level approach for frailty prevention in Japan-which encourages residents to engage in the local society by participating in community places or groups that are referred to as "Kayoi-no-ba"-and aggregate its status from a government report. This perspective on community building is consistent with the concept of an ecological model. However, few studies have verified the effects of policy- or system-level approaches on disability and frailty prevention. Further studies from an ecological perspective are needed to fulfill multilevel interventions for frailty prevention.

Social capital and well-being of the elderly 'left-behind' by their migrant children in India

BACKGROUND

The study aims to examine the association between individual forms of social capital and the well-being of the elderly 'left-behind' parents and to determine if there is a gender difference within the possible relationship.

METHODS

This study applied the first wave of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI, 2017-18) data. In this study, the respondents were 4,736 older parents 'left-behind' by their migrant adult sons. We employed descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis to assess the study sample's characteristics. The proportion test was performed to examine if there was a significant gender difference among older adults regarding depression, ADL, and IADL impairments. In addition, binary logistic regression was utilized to investigate the associations between social capital and elderly parents' health outcomes.

RESULTS

This study found a significant gender difference in depression (male: 8.26%; female:11.32%; P < 0.001), ADL (male:20.23%; female:25.75%; P = 0.032), and IADL (male: 33.97% female: 54.13%; P < 0.001) limitations. Elderly parents who did not participate in any social activity had a higher odd of ADL (aOR: 2.44; 95%CI: 1.882-3.171; P = < 0.001) and IADL (aOR: 1.22; 95%CI: 1.034-1.766 ; P = < 0.001) limitations. Networking with friends through phone/email conversations has a substantial impact on lowering depression in older parents. Older adults with good personal social capital were less likely to have depression, ADL, and IADL limitations.

CONCLUSION

Personal social capital is closely associated with the well-being of left-behind older parents. More efforts should be in place to increase the stock of social capital in this group with focused gender disparity.

Neighbourhood crime and obesity: Longitudinal evidence from Australia

RATIONALE

Obesity remains a significant public health concern globally with over one billion adults projected to be obese by 2025. To better understand the drivers of obesity and to inform policy, it is important to explore the factors that influence obesity.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this paper to examine if the crime rates in the neighbourhood or local area in which a person lives influences their likelihood of being obese. Thus, we seek to contribute to the literature on the determinants of obesity by asking the question: what is the effect of neighbourhood (i.e., postcode) crime on obesity? We also examine the pathways through which neighbourhood crime influences obesity with a focus on the role of social capital, physical activity and sleep quality.

METHODS

Using 14 waves of longitudinal data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey merged with official police statistics on crime rates at the postcode level, we apply identification strategies that address endogeneity arising from endogenous sorting and omitted variable bias.

RESULTS

We find that an increase in neighbourhood crime rates is associated with an increase in body mass index (BMI) and the likelihood of being obese. Exploring the pathways through which neighbourhood crime influences obesity, we find that social capital and physical activity are important channels, while sleep quality is not. The evidence also suggests that the effects of violent crime are more pronounced compared to property crime.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that targeting crime, and in particular violent crime, which seems to be driving the findings, is a core mechanism for reducing BMI and maintaining healthy body weight. The mediating role of physical activity and social capital also suggest that public policy can specifically target these areas by providing interventions that promote social capital and physical activity even amidst high crime rates.

The role of social capital in forest conservation: An approach to deal with deforestation

Understanding the position of social capital to coping with deforestation is very important. In this regard, the main goal of this study is to investigate the effect of social capital of rural households on forest conservation behavior (FCB) in Iran. The three specialized goals of this research include (1) the role of social capital of rural people in facilitating forest conservation measures (2) identifying the most effective factors of social capital influencing forest conservation (3) identifying the mechanism of social capital's effect on FCB. In this study, questionnaire survey method and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used. The statistical population included all the rural communities inside and on the edge of Arasbaran forests in the northwest of Iran. The results showed that the components of social capital (social trust, social networks and social engagement) can facilitate forest conservation measures and were able to explain 46.3 % of its variance. In addition, the findings indicated that these components affect protective measures through a specific mechanism, which means that they can affect protective behaviors by influencing the cognition of policies and increasing the awareness of rural communities. In general, the results of this research, in addition to improving the existing knowledge, provide new insights for the policy-makers and ultimately help the sustainable management of the forests in this region.

How and to what extent did the Coventry City of Culture 'City Host' volunteer programme effect the volunteers' mental wellbeing? A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

A team of volunteers, known as City Hosts, were recruited to support UK City of Culture 2021 awarded to Coventry. City Hosts held various roles facilitating cultural event delivery and promoting a positive experience for visitors. This study aimed to (i) understand how and to what extent the volunteering programme impacted volunteer subjective wellbeing, and (ii) explore the mechanisms of change and intermediate outcomes between volunteering and subjective wellbeing.

METHODS

This qualitative study comprised inductive and deductive analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews, conducted between December 2021-May 2022 with City Hosts. This was complimented with secondary qualitative analysis of free text responses within Monitoring and Evaluation data collected from City Hosts in surveys conducted in August and November 2021, and April 2022.

RESULTS

Approximately 180 City Hosts responded to the free text questions in each survey and 27 completed interviews. Analysis of data collected from City Hosts suggested positive wellbeing impacts from volunteering and supported theorised pathways to improved wellbeing. Strengths of the City Host programme included (i) facilitating the full range of mechanisms of change that mediate improved volunteer wellbeing, particularly promoting social connections and developing a strong role and group identity and (ii) flexibility around what volunteers do, how much, and how often.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers lessons for others designing volunteering programmes who wish to promote wellbeing among associated volunteers. We also offer evidence that exposure to culture may be one mechanism by which volunteering can improve wellbeing.

Cognitive social capital as a health-enabling factor for STI testing among young men in Stockholm, Sweden: A cross-sectional population-based study

Objective

To assess whether different forms of cognitive social capital increased the relative probability of testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young men living in Stockholm, Sweden.

Methods

A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 with men aged 20-29 years living in Stockholm County, Sweden (n = 523). The main outcome was STI testing patterns (never tested, tested only within a12-monthperiod, tested only beyond a12-monthperiod, repeatedly tested). The main exposure were two forms of cognitive social capital: social support (having received help, having someone to share inner feelings with) and institutionalized trust (in school, healthcare, media). Data were analyzed using weighted multivariable multinomial logistic regression to obtain adjusted weighted relative probability ratio (aRPR).

Results

After adjusting for confounding factors, receiving help (aRPR: 5.2, 95% CI: 1.7-16.2) and having someone to share inner feelings with (aRPR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.2-7.7) increased the relative probabilities of young men testing for STIs, but only for those testing beyond a 12-month period. Trust in media increased the relative probability of STI testing for those testing only within a 12-month period (aRPR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.1-6.1) and for those testing repeatedly (aRPR: 3.6, 95% CI: 1.5-8.8).

Conclusion

Young men in Stockholm County exhibit distinct STI testing patterns. Social support and trust in media were factors that increased the probability of being tested for STIs, with this effect varying according to the young men's STI testing pattern. Further studies are required to explore how trust in media might promote STI testing in this population.

Cooperative membership and farmers' environment-friendly practices: Evidence from Fujian, China

This study investigates the relationship between Chinese farmers' propensity to adopt environment-friendly practices and their membership in cooperatives. Based on data collected in 2021 from the Fujian China Household Survey, the Endogenous Switching Probit model (ESP) is applied to account for unobserved factors that could simultaneously affect farmers' cooperative membership and their willingness to adopt environment-friendly practices. First, the results indicate that a cooperative membership has a positive impact on the level of farmers' interest in green production practices. Second, there is evidence of some heterogeneity (based on both observable and unobservable characteristics) in the impact of cooperative membership; the higher the farmers' capital returns, the more prominent the role of cooperatives in guiding these farmers. Third, participation in cooperatives is conducive to raising farmers' interest in green production. The overall conclusion is that a cooperative membership raises the Chinese farmers' willingness to adopt environment-friendly practices.

Association between social capital and health-promoting lifestyle among empty nesters: The mediating role of sense of coherence

To determine the relationship between social capital, sense of coherence, and health-promoting lifestyles of empty nesters and to clarify the mediating role of the sense of coherence. A total of 452 community-based empty nesters were recruited from February 2023 to May 2023 using a convenience sample from Guiyang, China. Cross-sectional data on older adults' social capital, sense of coherence, and health-promoting lifestyle were collected using questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was constructed using Amos 27.0, and the mediating effect of sense of coherence was tested using the bootstrap method. The results showed that the significant mediating role of sense of coherence between social capital and health-promoting lifestyle (β=0.367, SE=0.066, 95% CI [0.246, 0.509]) explained 52.7% of the total effect of social capital on health-promoting lifestyle. These findings provide a better understanding of how social capital and sense of coherence together to affect health-promoting lifestyles, and they could guide the interventions to promote health-promoting lifestyles among empty nesters.

Nexus between information and communication technology, social capital, and sustainable development: the leading role of terrorism and financial development

Even though the existing studies have extensively investigated the impacts of information and communication technology and social capital on sustainable development, the literature overlooks the role of their interaction effect in the level of emissions. To fill this gap in the existing body of ICT-environment literature, this article analyzes the impact of ICT, social capital, terrorism, and income on sustainable development using panel data model for Asian and Middle East countries from 2005 to 2022. The findings show that ICT and education significantly reduce CO2 emissions, while income increases the CO2 emissions. Moreover, innovation, trade, and financial development reduce the CO2 emission from increased ICT. The findings suggest that ICT is an important factor in increasing income and social capital and improving investment in sustainable development. The region's economies have far more serious consequences for internet users than those of Asian countries. Nonetheless, according to the policy recommendations of this study, governments in Asia and the Middle East should invest more in technology and other systems to take advantage of technology and achieve sustainable development.

The Relationships between Social Capital, Metabolic, and Behavioral Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases: A Systematic Review

Background

Contextual risk factors such as social capital have a vital role in affecting behavioral and biological risk factors of NCDs. We aimed to systematically identify the relationship between different aspects of social capital (SC) with metabolic, and behavioral risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Methods

This is a systematic review. The period of study was 2000-2021. We searched the English international databases, i.e. PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies that reported NCDs' metabolic and behavioral risk factors as independent variables, were excluded. We also included studies if they analyzed the association between SC and metabolic and behavioral risk factors of NCDs.

Results

After the primary and quality appraisal process, 97 studies were entered in the final phase of the analysis. Five out of 18 studies reported an inverse association between SC and the level of alcohol drinking. Twenty-seven out of 32 studies reported a significant inverse association between SC and smoking and tobacco use, while only one study reported a significant positive association. Nine studies reported a significant inverse association between SC and high blood pressure. Three studies showed a significant inverse association between SC and diabetes. Seventeen studies indicated a significant positive association between SC and physical activity. Thirteen out of 17 studies reported a significant inverse association between SC, body mass index (BMI) and overweight.

Conclusion

High SC, people's participation and interaction are vital in tackling NCDs. Evidence shows positive effects of SC on prevention, control and improvement of NCDs' metabolic and behavioral risk factors.

Religious service attendance and mortality: A population-based prospective cohort study in southern Sweden

Aims

The aim is to investigate associations between attendance in religious service during the past year and all-cause, cardiovascular (CVD), cancer and other cause mortality.

Study design

Prospective cohort study.

Methods

A public health survey with three reminders was sent to a stratified random sample of the adult 18-80 population in southernmost Sweden in 2008. The response rate was 54.1%, and 24,855 participants were included in this study. The cross-sectional baseline survey was connected to mortality data with 8.3-year follow-up. Analyses were conducted in Cox regression models.

Results

13.9% had attended religious service at least once during the past year, and 86.1% had not attended. The group with religious attendance contained significantly higher proportions of women, high and medium position non-manual employees, participants born abroad, never alcohol consumers, respondents with high trust in others and respondents with high social participation. It also contained significantly lower proportions with low leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and daily smokers. Religious service attendance during the past year was significantly associated with lower hazard rate ratios (HRRs) of all-cause mortality compared to non-attendance until social participation items were introduced in the final model. HRRs of CVD mortality were significantly lower for religious attendance in the multiple models until BMI and health-related behaviors were introduced. No significant results were observed for cancer and other cause mortality.

Conclusions

The results suggest that religious service attendance in a highly secularized country such as Sweden is significantly associated with lower all-cause mortality, which may be explained by a social network pathway in this highly secularized population.