Social capital and healthy ageing in Indonesia.

Junran Cao,Anu Rammohan

doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3257-9

Abstract

BackgroundA large international literature has found a positive association between social capital and measures of physical and mental health. However, there is a paucity of research on the links between social capital and healthy ageing in a developing country environment, where universal social security coverage is absent and health infrastructure is poor.MethodIn this paper, we develop and empirically test a model of the linkages between social capital and the health outcomes for older adults in Indonesia, using data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey-East (IFLS-East), conducted in 2012. Using multivariate regression analysis, we examine whether social capital plays a role in mitigating poor health among older individuals aged 50 years and above in Indonesia’s most vulnerable provinces. We test the robustness of these social capital variables across different health measures (self-assessed health, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), measures of chronic illness and mental health measures), as well as across different demographic groups, after controlling for an array of socio-economic, demographic and geographic characteristics.ResultsOur findings show that access to better social capital (using measures of neighbourhood trust and community participation) is associated with a higher degree of physical mobility, independence, and mental well-being among older individuals but has no influence on chronic illnesses. These results are consistent when we estimate samples disaggregated by gender, rural/urban residence, and by age categories.ConclusionFrom a policy perspective these results point to the importance of social capital measures in moderating the influence of poor health, particularly in the Activities of Daily Living.

Highlights

A large international literature has found a positive association between social capital and measures of physical and mental health
From a policy perspective these results point to the importance of social capital measures in moderating the influence of poor health, in the Activities of Daily Living
Using data from the 2012 Indonesian Family Life Survey-Indonesian family life survey-east (East), our analysis focuses on the seven most vulnerable eastern provinces and contributes to the literature on social capital and health by: (i) Analysing whether access to social capital is associated with good health among older individuals aged 50 years and above in a developing country environment; and (ii) Testing the robustness of these social capital variables across different health measures, including both physical and mental health, as well as across different demographic groups

Summary

Introduction

A large international literature has found a positive association between social capital and measures of physical and mental health [2,3,4,5,6,7]. It is important to consider that different measures of social capital may have different impacts depending on the health measure used (self-assessed, mental health, physical or cognitive), or the ways in which social capital is defined and whether accessibility to social capital is easy. A recent study from Chile finds that social capital may be an important determinant of mental rather than physical health [14]

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Conclusion