Dataset Information

A systematic review of the relationships between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health: a contribution to understanding the psychosocial pathway of health inequalities.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Recent research on health inequalities moves beyond illustrating the importance of psychosocial factors for health to a more in-depth study of the specific psychosocial pathways involved. Social capital is a concept that captures both a buffer function of the social environment on health, as well as potential negative effects arising from social inequality and exclusion. This systematic review assesses the current evidence, and identifies gaps in knowledge, on the associations and interactions between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health.

Methods

Through this systematic review we identified studies on the interactions between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health published before July 2012.

Results

The literature search resulted in 618 studies after removal of duplicates, of which 60 studies were eligible for analysis. Self-reported measures of health were most frequently used, together with different bonding, bridging and linking components of social capital. A large majority, 56 studies, confirmed a correlation between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health. Twelve studies reported that social capital might buffer negative health effects of low socioeconomic status and five studies concluded that social capital has a stronger positive effect on health for people with a lower socioeconomic status.

Conclusions

There is evidence for both a buffer effect and a dependency effect of social capital on socioeconomic inequalities in health, although the studies that assess these interactions are limited in number. More evidence is needed, as identified hypotheses have implications for community action and for action on the structural causes of social inequalities.

SUBMITTER: Uphoff EP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3726325 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A systematic review of the relationships between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health: a contribution to understanding the psychosocial pathway of health inequalities.

Uphoff Eleonora P EP Pickett Kate E KE Cabieses Baltica B Small Neil N Wright John J

International journal for equity in health 20130719

<h4>Introduction</h4>Recent research on health inequalities moves beyond illustrating the importance of psychosocial factors for health to a more in-depth study of the specific psychosocial pathways involved. Social capital is a concept that captures both a buffer function of the social environment on health, as well as potential negative effects arising from social inequality and exclusion. This systematic review assesses the current evidence, and identifies gaps in knowledge, on the associatio ...[more]

PMID: 23870068

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionExplanations for health inequalities include material, behavioural and psychosocial pathways. Social relationships are an important determinant of health, and research has consistently found that a lack of support networks may diminish favourable health outcomes. There is some evidence that social network structures, partly shaped by socioeconomic factors, contribute to health inequalities. This protocol will summarise the systematic review process.Methods and analysesThe Systematic review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. An electronic database search of MEDLINE, Embase Classic + Embase and PsychINFO using the OvidSP platform will be undertaken. Databases will be searched from the earliest date of entry until 10 June 2022. Articles that have quantitatively assessed the role of social relationships in mediating or moderating health inequalities will be included and any health outcome (mental/physical) will be considered. The database search will be supplemented by reference list screening of all relevant full-text articles identified through the search. Two independent reviewers will be responsible for screening of articles, data extraction and assessment of bias. Observational studies will be risk assessed for bias using a modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale, and intervention studies will be assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. It is anticipated that the eligible studies will be highly variable; therefore, a meta-analysis will only be considered if the available data of the selected studies are similar. If the studies are too heterogeneous, a narrative synthesis of the extracted data will be presented.ConclusionThe results of the systematic review will examine the link between social relationships and health inequalities. The findings of the review will identify gaps in knowledge where further research is needed.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42020181706.

Project description:BackgroundThere is limited knowledge on the mediating role of different health risk behavior on the relationship between social capital, socioeconomic status (SES), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Chinese older adults. We conducted this study to (a) investigate the condition of health risk behaviors of the Chinese elderly, and (b) assess the relationship between SES, social capital, health risk behaviors, and HRQoL.MethodsA sample of 4868 adults aged 60 years and older were included in this study, from the China's Health-related Quality of Life Survey for Older Adults 2018. Participants' demographic characteristics, SES (education level, family income), health risk behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder) were collected. Social capital and HRQoL were assessed by the 16-item Personal Social Capital Scale (PSCS-16) and WHOQOL-Old, respectively. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine the associations between variables.ResultsThe proportion of smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder were 32.1, 36.3, 62.5, 45.7, 31.8, and 45.5%, respectively. Significant differences were observed in education level, family income, and social capital between elderly individuals with and without each of the six health risk behavior (all p-values < 0.05). Elderly individuals who reported smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder had significantly lower HRQoL than those without these unhealthy behaviors (all p-values < 0.05). SEM analysis showed that SES and social capital positively associated with alcohol consumption. Social capital negatively associated with smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder. SES negatively associated with smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder. Smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder correlated with poorer HRQoL.ConclusionsChinese older adults demonstrated a high incidence of health risk behaviors, especially for physical inactivity (62.5%) and unhealthy dietary behavior (45.7%). Social capital and SES were correlated with the elderly's HRQoL, as well as with the health risk behaviors. Health risk behaviors played potential mediating role on the relationship between social capital, SES, and HRQoL in Chinese older adults.

Project description:ObjectivesTo assess the extent of the association of psychosocial stress with oral health in an Ontario population stratified by age groups, and whether any association is modified by indicators of social and economic capital.MethodsWe retrieved data of 21,320 Ontario adults, aged 30-74 years old, from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS: 2017-2018), which is a Canada-wide, cross-sectional survey. Using binomial logistic regression models that adjusted for age, sex, education, and country of birth, we examined the association of psychosocial stress (indicated by perceived life stress) with inadequate oral health (indicated as having at least one of the following: bleeding gums, fair/poor self-perceived oral health, persistent oral pain). We assessed the effect measure modification of indicators of social (sense of belonging to the local community, living/family arrangements) and economic capital (household income, dental insurance, dwelling ownership) on the perceived life stress-oral health relationship, stratified by age (30-44, 45-59, 60-74 yrs). We then calculated the Relative Excess Risk due to Interaction (RERI) which indicates the risk that is above what would be expected if the combination of low capital (social or economic) and high psychosocial stress was entirely additive.ResultsRespondents with higher perceived life stress were at a significantly higher risk of having inadequate oral health (PR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.34, 1.44). Adults with low social and economic capital were also at an increased risk of inadequate oral health. Effect measure modification showed an additive effect of indicators of social capital on the perceived life stress-oral health relationship. This effect was evident across all three age groups (30-44, 45-59, 60-74 yrs), with the highest attributable proportion of social and economic capital indicators in the psychosocial stress-oral health relationship in older adults (60-74 yrs).ConclusionOur findings suggest an exacerbating effect for low social and economic capital in the relationship of perceived life stress with inadequate oral health among older adults.

Dataset Information

A systematic review of the relationships between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health: a contribution to understanding the psychosocial pathway of health inequalities.

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

A systematic review of the relationships between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health: a contribution to understanding the psychosocial pathway of health inequalities.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets