Covariation in Community- and Individual-Based Community Capacity and Health Behavior

Abstract

Community capacity is defined as the degree to which the human, physical, and potential resources of a neighborhood are organized based on mutual solidarity among the residents. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between community capacity and health behaviors in Seoul, South Korea. Multilevel models controlling for socioeconomic variables were used to measure the association between community capacity and health behaviors in 25 districts and 404 subdistricts (n = 14 228). Community capacity was determined to be significant at the more local community level, as it was a significant variable in the subdistrict analysis for explaining health behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and exercising. Community capacity exists not only at the individual level but also at the community level. High community capacity further enhanced the positive effects of individual capacity on health behavior and further weakened the negative effects.