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BackgroundSocial capital is associated with health behaviours and health. Our objective was to explore how different dimensions of social capital and health-related behaviours are associated, and whether health behaviours mediate this association between social capital and self-rated health and psychological well-being.MethodsWe used data from the Health 2000 Survey (n=8028) of the adult population in Finland. The response rate varied between 87% (interview) and 77% (the last self-administered questionnaire). Due to item non-response, missing values were replaced using multiple imputation. The associations between three dimensions of social capital (social support, social participation and networks, trust and reciprocity) and five health behaviours (smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, vegetable consumption, sleep) were examined by using logistic regression and controlling for age, gender, education, income and living arrangements. The possible mediating role of health behaviours in the association between social capital and self-rated health and psychological well-being was also analysed with a logistic regression model.ResultsSocial participation and networks were associated with all of the health behaviours. High levels of trust and reciprocity were associated with non-smoking and adequate duration of sleep, and high levels of social support with adequate duration of sleep and daily consumption of vegetables. Social support and trust and reciprocity were independently associated with self-rated health and psychological well-being. Part of the association between social participation and networks and health was explained by physical activity.ConclusionsIrrespective of their social status, people with higher levels of social capital – especially in terms of social participation and networks – engage in healthier behaviours and feel healthier both physically and psychologically.

In Finland, members of the Swedish-speaking minority, many of whom live in the province of Ostrobothnia, intermingle with the Finnish-speaking majority. Although the two language communities are quite similar to each other in most societal respects, including socioeconomic status, education and use of health services, significant disparities have been reported in the morbidity, disability and mortality between the Swedish-speaking minority and the Finnish-speaking majority. Since the population genetic, ecological and socioeconomic circumstances are equal, Swedish speakers' longer active life is difficult to explain by conventional health-related risk factors. A great deal of health inequality (between the language groups) seems to derive from uneven distribution of social capital, i.e. the Swedish-speaking community holds a higher amount of social capital that is associated with their well-being and health. Factor analysis revealed four patterns of social capital measures, i.e. voluntary associational activity, friendship network, religious involvement and hobby club activity, of which associational activity, friendship network and religious involvement were significantly associated with good self-rated health. Also, trustful friendship network, hobby club activity and religious involvement as well as avoidance of intoxication-prone drinking behavior were significantly more frequent among the individuals of the Swedish-speaking community. We suggest that health promotion should seek ways of working which would encourage social participation.

Our findings suggest that trust and reciprocity and social participation and networks contribute to good self-rated health and psychological well-being.

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