Abstract
BackgroundRecent increases in numbers of older people have been accompanied by increases in those with functional disability. No study has examined the association between community social capital and the onset...
Highlights
Functional disability, defined as difficulty performing activities of daily living, in ageing populations is a growing public health problem in many countries.1e4 Functional disability affects health status[2] and healthcare costs for longterm care.[1]
There is a growing body of research showing that social capital is a determinant of a range of health outcomes,6e9 though previous studies of functional disability have mainly focused on individual risk factors, such as health status, lifestyle and social factors.[10]
A 2-year follow-up Swedish study examined the relation between community social capital and onset of coronary heart disease.[13]
Summary
Functional disability, defined as difficulty performing activities of daily living, in ageing populations is a growing public health problem in many countries.1e4 Functional disability affects health status[2] and healthcare costs for longterm care.[1]. There is a growing body of research showing that social capital is a determinant of a range of health outcomes,6e9 though previous studies of functional disability (ie, physical or cognitive disability) have mainly focused on individual risk factors, such as health status, lifestyle and social factors.[10] Social capital was defined as ‘features of social organisation, such as trust, norms and networks that can improve the efficiency of society by facilitating coordinated actions’.11. In spite of rapid increases in the number of studies on social capital and health since 1997,9 there were relatively few prospective cohort studies, and their results were not similar.[7] For example, a 2-year follow-up Swedish study examined the relation between community social capital and onset of coronary heart disease.[13] Their multilevel analysis showed protective effects of community social capital on disease onset, after adjusting for individual-level covariates. No study has examined the association between community social capital and the onset of functional disability
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