Community-level Social Capital Research Articles

Social Capital, Import Competition, and Vaccine Uptake

Abstract This research note examines the relationship between social capital, economic globalization, and COVID-19 vaccines in U.S. counties. The author argues that the positive health benefits of community-level social capital can be undermined by import competition. Leveraging data from U.S. counties this note shows that the positive correlation between community social capital and vaccine uptake is lower in communities harder hit by import competition. This is however only the case for bridging and not for bonding social capital. These findings indicate that economic globalization can undermine the positive health impact of community social capital which has implications for inequalities in public health as well as responses to major health crises.

Association of community-level social capital with dementia: A multilevel nine-year longitudinal study using data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study

BackgroundIndividual-level social capital prevents cognitive decline. However, a few studies have focused on the effects of community-level social capital on dementia. Therefore, we investigated the association between community-level social capital and dementia onset based on longitudinal study data on older adults in Japan. MethodsWe used longitudinal data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, obtained over nine years (2010–2019). In total, 35,921 physically and cognitively independent individuals (16,848 males and 19,073 females) aged ≥65 years and nested within 308 communities in seven municipalities participated in the study. Dementia onset was assessed using the public long-term care insurance registration. Social capital was assessed using three dimensions: civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity. We performed a two-level multilevel survival analysis stratified by sex, calculated hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). ResultsDuring the follow-up, 6245 (17.4%) dementia onset cases were identified. The cumulative incidence of dementia was 16.2% in males and 18.4% in females. After adjusting for covariates, individual-level civic participation was associated with a lower incidence of dementia in both males and females (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.77–0.92; HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.73–0.84). Community-level civic participation and social cohesion were associated with a lower incidence of dementia among females (HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93–0.99; HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88–0.98) and cross-level interaction on social cohesion among females (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.90–0.99). ConclusionsLiving in a community with high civic participation and social cohesion is associated with a lower incidence of dementia among older females. Therefore, promoting civic participation and social cohesion in the community may be a useful population-based strategy to delay or prevent the onset of dementia.

Preventive role of community-level social capital in the need for long-term care and impairment in instrumental activities of daily living: a multilevel analysis.

Individual-level social capital is an important determinant of older adults' long-term care needs; however, there is scant evidence regarding community-level social capital. Therefore, we investigated the association between community-level social capital and the prevalence of the need for long-term care among older adults. Between January and February 2018, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among all older adults (n = 13,558) aged 65 to 74 years in a rural municipality in Japan (total population, n = 72,833). A self-reported questionnaire was used to identify community-level social capital, comprising civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the odds ratios of the need for long-term care and a decline in social activity competence as assessed by instrumental activities of daily living. For the analysis, the community levels were divided into 76 voting districts and adjusted for daily life, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, health conditions, and the three social capital subscale scores at the individual level. After adjusting for the covariates, we observed a tendency that a higher community level of reciprocity was associated with a lower prevalence of long-term care needs (OR: 0.86, 95% confidence interval: 0.75-1.00), whereas a high community level of social cohesion was associated with a significantly reduced decline in instrumental activities of daily living (OR per standard deviation increase: 0.87, 95% confidence interval: 0.79-0.96). No significant association was found with civic participation. Similarly, individual-level social capital was associated with the need for long-term care and decline in instrumental activities of daily living. Our findings suggest that good community-level reciprocity or social cohesion as well as good individual social capital status may help prevent the need for long-term care among older adults.

Association between Community Social Capital and Access to Dental Check-Ups among Elementary School Children in Japan.

The association between parental social capital and a child's access to dental check-ups has been reported, but few studies have focused on dental check-ups. The present study investigated the association between parental social capital and access to dental check-ups among first-grade elementary school children (6-7 years old) in Japan. We analyzed cross-sectional data of first-grade elementary school children (6-7 years old) in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan. Community social capital (the total score of social trust, cohesion, mutual aid) and child's dental check-ups (dental check-ups for purposes other than treatment at least once a year) were assessed by questionnaire surveys for parents of the first graders from all 69 elementary schools in 2017 (n = 5260; response rate: 81.6%) and 2019 (n = 5130; response rate: 78.8%). Multilevel Poisson regression analysis, adjusted for children's age in months, gender, mother's educational attainment, mother's employment status, having siblings, living with grandparents, and the density of dental clinics in the school district, was applied. Of the 7936 respondents included in the analysis, 82.7% of children received dental check-ups at least once a year. Individual-level social capital was positively associated with children's dental check-up utilization (prevalence ratio, PR = 0.935 per one interquartile range, IQR; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.877, 0.996). Community-level social capital was not significantly associated with children's dental check-up utilization (PR = 0.934 per one IQR; 95% CI: 0.865, 1.008). Promoting individual-level social capital, but not community-level social capital, may improve dental check-ups among elementary school children in Japan.

Association between community-level social trust and the risk of dementia: A retrospective cohort study in the Republic of Korea.

IntroductionIt is known that biological risk factors and lifestyle behaviors are important determinants of dementia. However, there has been yet to be sufficient evidence to prove that community-level social capital is one of the determinants of dementia. This retrospective cohort study is a large, long-term, population-based study that investigated the association between community-level social trust and the risk of dementia in the Republic of Korea.MethodsData came from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. The community-level social trust values were determined by the Korean Community Health Survey. The study population consisted of 1,974,944 participants over 50 years of age and was followed up from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2019 with a latent period of 5 years from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2016. Cox proportional hazards regression was utilized to obtain the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of dementia according to social trust quintiles.ResultsParticipants within the highest quintile of community-level social trust had a lower risk for overall dementia (aHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.86–0.94) and Alzheimer's disease (aHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85–0.94) compared to those within the lowest quintile of community-level social trust. The alleviating trend association of high community-level social trust on dementia risk was maintained regardless of whether the participants had health examinations.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that higher community-level social trust is associated with a reduced risk of dementia. Community-level social trust is a crucial indicator of dementia and improving community-level social trust may lead to a lower risk of dementia.

Pathways between Social Capital and Oral Health from Childhood to Adolescence

This study aimed to evaluate the theoretical pathways by which social capital can influence dental caries and oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children over time. This 10-y prospective cohort started in 2010 with a sample of 639 preschoolers aged 1 to 5 y from the southern Brazil. Community and individual social capital were assessed at baseline through the presence of formal institutions in the neighborhood and social networks, respectively. In the 10-y follow-up, the individual social capital was evaluated by social trust and social networks. Dental caries was measured by the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS), and the short version of the Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ11-14) was used to assess OHRQoL. Demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral (frequency of toothbrushing and use of dental services), and psychosocial (sense of coherence) characteristics were also assessed. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the associations between variables over time. About 429 children were reassessed at 10-y follow-up (67.1% cohort retention rate). High community social capital at baseline directly predicted lower occurrence of dental caries and better OHRQoL after 10 y. Social capital at community level also indirectly predicted lower occurrence of dental caries through sense of coherence, frequency of toothbrushing, and use of dental services. Individual social capital at follow-up was indirectly linked to OHRQoL via the psychosocial pathway (sense of coherence). Community-level social capital was associated with dental caries and OHRQoL over time. The relationship between individual social capital and oral health was mediated through the psychosocial pathway.

Association between social capital and oral health among adults aged 50 years and over in China: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundSocial capital has a potential effect in protecting oral health among population. However, no study has explored the association between social capital and oral health in the Chinese context. Due to the unique culture, political, social context in China, it is important to understand their association in the Chinese context. The study aims to investigate the association between cognitive and structural dimensions of social capital with edentulism among adults aged 50 years and over in China.MethodThe study used data from the WHO SAGE (Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health) wave 1 China component. Structural social capital was operationalized as social participation. Cognitive social capital was operationalized as perceived community trust and perceived community safety. Community-level social capital was measured by aggregating individual-level social capital into community level. Oral health was measured using a final marker of oral health status, self-reported edentulism. A 2-level multilevel logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between different dimensions of social capital and oral health.ResultsIn total, 12,856 individuals were included in the study, the overall prevalence of edentulism was 9.1% (95% CI 8.3–10.0). Multilevel logistic analysis revealed that individual-level social capital and community-level social capital are independently associated with edentulism. Individuals with low structural social capital and living in areas with low structural social capital have, respectively, 1.54 (95% CI 1.18–2.01) and 2.14 (95% CI 1.47–3.12) times higher odds for edentulism, after adjustment for potential confounders (age, sex, marital status, residence locality, wealth, education level, chronic conditions) and a potential mediator(smoking).ConclusionsLiving in a community with lower structural social capital and individual with low structural social capital is associated with higher risk for edentulism among adults aged 50 years and over in China.

Association between community-level social capital and frailty onset among older adults: a multilevel longitudinal study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES)

BackgroundLittle is known about the prospective association between community-level social capital and individual-level frailty onset. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the impact of community-level social capital on frailty onset...

Where You Live Matters to Have the American Dream: The Impact of Collective Social Capital on Perceived Economic Mobility and the Moderating Role of Income

The current research develops and tests the theory that beliefs in economic mobility are affected by social capital at the community level, especially for low-income individuals. Integrating concepts from social capital and perceived economic mobility (PEM), this research hypothesizes that members of disadvantaged groups (vs. members of advantaged groups) are more likely to adjust their PEM depending on the social capital at the community level. Using archival data, multilevel analysis is employed to examine whether individual- or community-level social capital increases PEM and the extent to which income moderates this relationship. Consistent with our hypotheses, social capital at the community level is significantly associated with PEM and this relationship is stronger for low-income (vs. high-income) earners. Study 1 shows that individuals in communities with high levels of social relations and participation are more likely to have higher PEM than those in communities with lower levels. Study 2 replicates this finding with a similar dependent variable: negative prospects. Further, the PEM-enhancing and negative prospects-decreasing effects of community-level social capital are consistently stronger for low-income (vs. high-income) earners. This study extends the investigation of PEM and social capital by suggesting social capital as a possible antecedent of PEM.

Multilevel Social Mechanisms of Post-Disaster Depression.

This exploratory study empirically shows how community social capital is related to post-disaster depression, whereas most disaster mental health research has focused on posttraumatic stress disorder. We tested the validity of earlier found multilevel social and individual mechanisms of posttraumatic stress for symptoms of post-disaster depression. We used data (n = 231) from a community study after a flood in Morpeth (2008), a rural town in northern England. At the salutary community level, our multilevel analyses showed that, in communities with high social capital, individuals employ less individual social support and coping effort, which protects individuals from developing symptoms of depression. Yet, on the ‘dark’ individual level of our model, we found that perceiving the disaster as less traumatic after a year was related to more feelings of depression in contrast to previous findings for posttraumatic stress. Our explanation of this finding is that, when the appraisal of the disaster as threatening fades into the background, individuals may perceive the full scope of the disaster aftermath and start to feel depressed. We also found that more social support is related to more depression. Although depressed people may attract or receive more social support, this social support can paradoxically become disabling by reinforcing a sense of dependence, thereby undermining self-esteem and leading to feelings of helplessness. Our results imply that to curb post-disaster depression, boosting community level social capital may be an important starting point for building resilience. At the same time, interventionists need to identify risk groups for whom the stressful experience becomes less intrusive and who experience the burden of dependency on an unequal relationship with ones’ social inner circle.

Association of community level social trust and reciprocity with mortality: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundWhether community level social capital is associated with mortality within an Asian population is yet unclear.MethodsThe study population was derived from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. A total of 636,055 participants were followed-up during 2012–2013 for deaths from all causes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and other causes. Community level social trust and reciprocity at the administrative district level were derived from the Korean Community Health Survey. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to determine the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality according to levels of community level social trust and reciprocity.ResultsCompared to participants who reside in areas within the lower half of community level social trust, those who reside in areas within the upper half had lower risk of death from all causes (aHR 0.84, 95% CI 0.78–0.89), CVD (aHR 0.82, 95% CI 0.67–0.99), and cancer (aHR 0.85, 95% CI 0.73–0.98). Similarly, residing in areas in the upper half of community level social reciprocity was associated with reduced risk for all-cause mortality (aHR 0.80, 95% CI 0.75–0.86). The protective association of high community level social trust and reciprocity on mortality remained after additional adjustments for smoking, alcohol intake, and physical activity.ConclusionsResiding in areas with high community level social trust and reciprocity may be associated with better population health status.

Bowling together by bowling alone: Social capital and COVID-19.

Social capital describes the social bonds that exist within a community and comprises norms of reciprocity and trust as well as social relationships and social networks. We use data from counties in the United States to identify if community level responses to COVID-19 during the early phase of the pandemic (February 17 - May 10) depended on levels of social capital. We find that individuals who lived in counties with high levels of social capital reduced mobility faster than individuals living in counties with low levels of social capital and that they especially reduced mobility directed at retail and recreational activities, i.e. non-essential activities with higher potential risk. Difference-in-difference results show that the adoption of shelter-in-place orders (SIPOs) in a county, an increase in the number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases and a rainy weather were all associated with a decline in mobility, but that effects were heterogenous and depended on community level social capital. Effects were more pronounced in high social capital communities. Based on these findings, we map the level of vulnerability of communities in the United States to COVID-19: counties with a large share of the population suffering from pre-existing medical conditions and low levels of community level social capital are especially susceptible to experiencing severe health outcomes because of COVID-19.

Residents living in communities with higher civic participation report higher self-rated health.

It has been shown that community-level social capital may affect residents’ health. The present mixed ecological study assesses the evidence for an association between the community-level social capital and the individual level of self-rated health. The Hakui City Health Interview Survey targeted 15,242 people aged 40 years and older from 11 communities. Among them, 6578 residents responded to the questionnaire (response rate, 43.2%). We examined whether the community-level social capital (general trust, norm, and civic participation) was associated with the individual level of self-rated health. Overall, 1919 (29.1%) answers of self-rated poor health were identified. Community-level civic participation was negatively associated with poor self-rated health after adjusting for individual demographic factors, individual social capitals, and community-level economic status, whereas community-level general trust, and norm were not significant. The findings suggest the importance of fostering communities with high civic participation to reduce the poor health status of residents.

Does community-level social capital mitigate the impact of widowhood & living alone on depressive symptoms?: A prospective, multi-level study.

Widowhood and living alone are linked to increased risk of depression. We examined prospectively whether community-level social capital can mitigate the adverse impact of widowhood and living alone on depressive symptoms. We used data of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study of functionally independent adults aged 65 years or older. Three waves of surveys were collected in 2010, 2013 and 2016. We conducted gender-stratified multilevel linear regression to examine the moderating effects of community-level social capital on depressive symptoms (as assessed by the 15-point Geriatric Depression Scale) associated with widowhood and living alone. Widowhood in the past 12 months in combination with living alone was associated with a marked worsening in depressive symptoms among men (beta coefficient=1.67; 95% confidence interval: 1.38, 1.95). Community-level civic participation, but not social cohesion or reciprocity, was associated with lower depressive symptoms in men and women. In addition, community-level civic participation moderated the association between depressive symptoms and recent widowhood/living alone among men (coefficient per 1 standard deviation=-0.30; 95% confidence interval: -0.59, -0.02). We found no significant effect modification of community-level social capital on depressive symptoms associated with widowhood and living alone among women. Communities with greater civic participation appear to mitigate the onset of depressive symptoms among recently widowed men living alone. Promotion of community activities might be an effective community-level intervention to promote mental health in this vulnerable group.

Regional Level Social Capital and Business Survival Rates

Using two alternative metrics of social capital, we explore how community structure influences the five-year survival rates of businesses started in 2000. Employing a family of spatial estimators to derive a set of global estimates and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), we find strong evidence that community-level social capital has a positive influence on business survival rates. Results suggest that while social capital is important in understanding business survival rates, relationships vary significantly across space. From, a policy perspective, it would be a mistake to treat social capital as a uniform asset where one approach fits all communities.

Associations Between Community Social Capital and Preservation of Functional Capacity in the Aftermath of a Major Disaster.

The strength of social connections in the community ("social capital") is hypothesized to be a crucial ingredient in disaster resilience. We examined whether community-level social capital is correlated with the ability to maintain functional capacity among older residents who experienced the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The baseline of our cohort (mean age, 74 years) was established in 2010, 7 months before the disaster in Iwanuma, a Japanese city located 80 km from the epicenter. Disaster-related personal experiences (e.g., housing damage or relocation) were assessed through a follow-up survey (n=3,594; follow-up rate, 82.1%) conducted in 2013, 2.5 years after the earthquake. Multiple membership multilevel models were used to evaluate the associations between functional capacity, measured by the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale, and 3 subscales of community-level social capital: social cohesion, social participation, and reciprocity. Community-level social participation was associated with a lower risk of functional decline after disaster exposure. The average level of social participation in the community also mitigated the adverse impact of housing damage on functional status, suggesting a buffering mechanism.

The association of community and individual parental social capital with behavior problems among children in Japan: results from A-CHILD longitudinal study.

The purpose of this study was to determine the association of individual-level and community-level parental social capital with childhood behavior problems using population-based longitudinal data in Japan. We analyzed data from a population-based longitudinal survey study which followed first-grade elementary school children (6-7years old) in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan. At baseline, the parents of first-grade students from all 69 elementary schools in Adachi City were asked to respond to a questionnaire assessing behavior problems and prosocial behavior (using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) and parental social capital in the community (N = 5494). Data on follow-up questionnaires on behavior problems were collected when children were second grade. Among both surveys, 3656 parents returned valid responses. The association between individual-level and community-level parental social capital and children's behavior problems were analyzed using multilevel analyses adjusting for covariates. Community-level social capital was positively associated with prosocial behaviors, but not for total difficulties, after adjustment for covariates (coefficient = 0.19, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.36). Individual-level parental social capital was also positively associated with prosocial behaviors (coefficient = 0.27, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.41) and negatively associated with total difficulties (coefficient = -0.54, 95% CI -0.89 to -0.19). This study showed that greater community-level social capital can benefit children with increased prosocial behaviors. Individual-level parental social capital can be protective of youth by increasing prosocial behaviors and reducing difficult behaviors. Boosting both community and individual social capital can be a promising means to enhance children's well-being.

Social capital and utilization of immunization service: A multilevel analysis in rural Uttar Pradesh, India.

The National Health Policy (2017) of India advocates Universal Health Coverage through inclusive growth, decentralization, and rebuilding a cohesive community through a participatory process. To achieve this goal, understanding social organization, and community relationships – defined as social capital – is critical. This study aimed to explore the influence of individual and community-level social capital on a critical health system performance indicator, three-doses of diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus (DPT3) immunization among 12–59 month children, in rural Uttar Pradesh (UP), India. The analysis is based on a cross-sectional survey from two districts of UP, which included 2239 children 12–59 months of age (level 1) from 1749 households (level 2) nested within 346 communities (level 3). We used multilevel confirmatory factor analysis to generate standardized factor scores of social capital constructs (Organizational Participation, Social Support, Trust and Social Cohesion) of the household heads and mothers both at individual and community level, which were then used in the multilevel logistic regressions to explore the independent and contextual effect of social capital on a child's DPT3 immunization status. The result showed only community-level Social Cohesion of the mothers was associated with a child's DPT3 immunization status (Adjusted odds ratio = 1.25, 95% confidence interval = 1.12–1.54; p = 0.04). Beyond its independent effect on utilization of immunization service, the collective Social Cohesion of the mothers significantly modified the relationship of child age, mother's knowledge of immunization, community wealth, and communities' contact with frontline workers with immunization status of the child. With a strong theoretical underpinning, the result substantially contributes to understanding the individual and contextual predictors of immunization service utilization and further advancing the literature of social capital in India. This study can serve as a starting point to catalyze social capital within the health interventions for achieving wellbeing and the collective development of society.

The relationships between social capital and concerns for climate change with increasing wildfire risks in rural communities in Central Oregon

Though a global issue, climate change adaptation necessitates local action. For many rural communities, challenges to available capital, infrastructure and knowledge systems need to be identified to adequately address climate change adaptability. In this study, social capital and information networks are examined as local adaptation strategies to mitigate specific risks and vulnerabilities to wildfire. We examine survey data collected from 683 owner-occupied rural central Oregon households, where localized climate change manifestations present risks to residents through increased wildfire occurrence and severity. Results indicate that social network ties to professionals knowledgeable on climate change and/or wildfires have no statistical impact on perceptions of climate change or associated local risks. Such social network ties are, however, mediated by a social capital measure of governmental trust for climate change. Results also indicate residents with higher perceptions of adaptation capacity to mobilize for collective action had greater concern for localized risks while residents with higher views of community solidarity had less concern. Clarifying these relationships adds to our understanding of social networks, community level social capital, and concerns for generalized climate change versus localized manifestations of risk as adaptation strategies for forested rural communities.

Suicide Rates, Social Capital, and Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults in Japan: An Ecological Study.

Depression is considered the primary risk factor for older people’s suicide. When considering suicide measures, it is necessary to clarify the relationship between depressive symptoms, social capital, and suicide rates. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the relationship between community-level social capital, depressive symptoms, and suicide rates among older people in Japan. We analyzed the data gathered from 63,026 men and 72,268 women aged 65 years and older, totaling 135,294 subjects in 81 municipalities with a population of over 100,000 participants in the 2013 Sixth Long-Term Care Needs Survey and another survey conducted by Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) in 2013 including the same question items as the survey in Japan. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the male suicide standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was positively correlated with depressive symptoms (B = 2.318, p = 0.002), and received emotional support (B = −2.622, p = 0.014) had a negative correlation with the male suicide SMR. In older males particularly, the received emotional support in the community was independently associated with the suicide rate. Therefore, fostering social support in a community could act as a countermeasure to suicide among older males in Japan.