Social Capital, Gender and Educational Level Impact on Self-Rated Health~!2009-09-17~!2010-03-11~!2010-05-26~!

Abstract

Abstract:Objectives: Social capital has been recognized as one important social determinant for health, but we still have limited knowledge about how it can be used to explain inequality in health. This study investigated the links between individual social capital and self-rated health by gender and educational level, and analyzed if access to social capital might explain the observed disparities in self-rated health between men and women and different educational groups. Study design: A cross-sectional survey in Northern Sweden. Methods: A social capital questionnaire was constructed and mailed to 15 000 randomly selected individuals. Different forms of structural and cognitive social capital were measured. Self-rated health was used as the outcome measure. Crude and adjusted OR and 95% CI were calculated for good selfrated health and access to each form of social capital. Multivariate regression was used to analyze how sociodemographic factors and access to social capital might influence differences in self-rated health by gender and educational level. Results: Access to almost each form of social capital significantly increased the odds for good self-rated health for all groups. A higher education significantly increased the odds for access to each form of social capital, and being a man significantly increased the odds for having access to some forms of social capital. The health advantage for higher educated and men partly decreased when controlling for access to social capital. Conclusions: Access to social capital can partly explain the observed health inequality between men and women and different educational groups. Strengthening social capital might be one way of tackling health inequality. It is important to consider the structural conditions that create unequal opportunities for different groups to access social capital.

Social Capital and Self-Rated Health in Older Populations in Lower- and Upper-Middle Income Countries

“…trust safety and reciprocity norms), compared to structural forms (Eriksson et al 2010;Harpham et al 2004;Kim et al 2008;Nyqvist et al 2008;Yip et al 2007). Current evidence also indicates that social capital is not a resource equally accessible to all population groups.…”

“…Studies from Indonesia (Silvey and Elmhirst 2003) and the UK (Campbell et al 1999) have found that women tend to be more involved in local close-knit bonding networks compared to men, while a study from Northern Sweden (Eriksson et al 2010) found the reverse; women were more involved in bridging social networks compared to men. The same study (Eriksson et al 2010) additionally found that women were less likely to have access to safety compared to men. Likewise, studies have shown that older people tend to feel less safe in their neighbourhoods compared to younger people (Jeffords 1983).…”

“…In this study, we utilised the so-called "social network approach" to social capital, viewing it as an individual asset, which is commonly defined as "the ability of actors to secure benefits by virtue of membership in social networks or other social structures" (Portes 1998). Following this definition, social capital is believed to promote health through access to social support and material resources; through social influence of role models; and through opportunities to learn new skills and develop a sense of belonging through social network involvement Eriksson 2011;Eriksson et al 2010).…”

“…Studies have shown how higher socioeconomic position is positively associated with access to all forms of social capital (Ziersch 2005;Eriksson et al 2010). Studies from Indonesia (Silvey and Elmhirst 2003) and the UK (Campbell et al 1999) have found that women tend to be more involved in local close-knit bonding networks compared to men, while a study from Northern Sweden (Eriksson et al 2010) found the reverse; women were more involved in bridging social networks compared to men. The same study (Eriksson et al 2010) additionally found that women were less likely to have access to safety compared to men.…”

A Single- vs. Multi-Item Self-Rated Health Status Measure: A 21-Country Study

“…SRH is used in research on various topics, but in particular in longitudinal studies as a predictor of subsequent mortality [1][2][3]; in cross-sectional surveys as the outcome variable in studies on social inequalities in health [4][5][6][7][8]; and in studies on compression of morbidity [9][10][11].…”