Abstract
BackgroundSocial capital may influence health and the patterns of association differ according its dimension such as cognitive, behavioral, bridging or bonding. There is a few numbers of studies in Latin America which comprise these aspects of social capital and health. The aim of this study was to examine the association between social capital and self-rated health among youth, and distinguish between the different forms of social capital - cognitive versus behavioral, and bonding versus bridging.FindingsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009 among working adolescents supported by a Brazilian NGO. The sample comprised 363 individuals and data were collected using a validated structured questionnaire. The outcome, self-rated health, was measured as a dichotomous variable (poor/good health) and fourteen social capital indicators were investigated (cognitive, behavioral and bonding/bridging). Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Cognitive (social support and trust), behavioral (civic participation) and bridging social capital were associated with good self-rated health after adjustment of all the other social capital indicators and confounders (sex, age, skin color and educational background).ConclusionsSocial capital was associated with self-rated health and the patterns of association differed according its specific dimensions. Cognitive, behavioral and bridging social capitals were protective for adolescents health living in a developing country context..
Highlights
Social capital may influence health and the patterns of association differ according its dimension such as cognitive, behavioral, bridging or bonding
The concept originated in sociology to explain diverse phenomena such as educational success, labor market attachment, and the prevention of crime, an increasing number of studies in the last decade and a half have turned to the exploration of social capital in public health [3]
Model II was controlled for Model I and all social capital indicators
Summary
Social capital may influence health and the patterns of association differ according its dimension such as cognitive, behavioral, bridging or bonding. The aim of this study was to examine the association between social capital and self-rated health among youth, and distinguish between the different forms of social capital cognitive versus behavioral, and bonding versus bridging. Studies have suggested that social capital may be a determinant of health based on its association with mortality [4], health behaviors [5], mental health [6] and self-rated health [7,8]. It is important to capital can influence health is via the exercise of collective action and informal social control [12]. The challenge in social capital research is to identify and isolate the specific instances in which it can be a force for health promotion versus a detrimental factor in the patterning of health outcomes
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