Abstract
This paper discusses the concept of social capital as a potential factor in understanding the controversial relationship between income inequality and individual health status, arguing a positive, important role for social capital. Most of the health research literature focuses on individual health status and reveals that social capital increases individual health. However, the difficulty in measuring social capital, together with what may be the nearly impossible task of attributing causality, should relegate the concept to a more theoretical role in health research. Nonetheless, social capital receives academic attention as a potentially important factor in health research. This paper finds that the mixed results of empirical research on income inequality and health status remain a problem in the context of defining a stable relationship between socioeconomic status and health status. Clearly, further research is needed to elaborate on the income inequality and health relationship. In addition, focused, rigorous examination of social capital in a health context is needed before health researchers can comfortably introduce it as a concept of influence or significance.
Highlights
Findings from previous studies on income and health have been extensively discussed in health literature (e.g., MacIntyre et al, 1998; Marmot et al, 1984; Adler et al, 1994)
This paper finds that the mixed results of empirical research on income inequality and health status remain a problem in the context of defining a stable relationship between socioeconomic status and health status
Since a few studies have explored the relationship between social capital and individual health status, in this paper, I discuss issues pertaining to social capital and individual health status and, necessarily, the varied definitions of social capital
Summary
Findings from previous studies on income and health have been extensively discussed in health literature (e.g., MacIntyre et al, 1998; Marmot et al, 1984; Adler et al, 1994). Previous studies have discussed the relatively mixed findings on the actual relationship between income inequality and individual health status (e.g., Kawachi et al, 2000; Grossman, 1972; Soonbader et al, 1999). For better understanding of such varied findings among individual-SES and income-inequality studies, social capital has been introduced as a possibly related concept. The concept of social capital provides an interesting perspective for integrating existing knowledge about social factors into health issues; social capital can further our understanding of how social conditions matter for health (Berkman et al, 2000). Since a few studies have explored the relationship between social capital and individual health status, in this paper, I discuss issues pertaining to social capital and individual health status and, necessarily, the varied definitions of social capital. This paper attempts to develop a theoretical perspective on social capital that, while at least partially addressing definition and measurement issues, more clearly addresses individual health status
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