The role of cultural capital in producing good health: a propensity score study / Vpliv kulturnega kapitala na zdravje: študija nagnjenja

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Following Bourdieu’s concept of capital, the paper discusses how different states of cultural capital (institutionalised, incorporated and objectified) affect health capital. Methods: The effect of cultural capital on self-assessed health is estimated with a propensity score matching approach using observational data from the »Media consumption, class and cultural stratification« survey. The survey was conducted in 2010 and covered the adult population in the two biggest cities in Slovenia: Ljubljana and Maribor (n = 820). The analyses investigate whether and how different states of cultural capital affect self-assessed health, and whether there are gender differences in how cultural capital affects self-assessed health. Results: Cultural capital has a positive effect on health: persons with high cultural capital report a better selfassessed health than persons with low cultural capital. All states of cultural capital (institutionalised, objectified and incorporated) have a significant positive conditional effect on self-assessed health for women, but for men only the overall cultural capital has a significant positive effect. Conclusions: Cultural capital is an important resource for gaining and maintaining good health and can be seen as a source of (in)equities in health.