Association between Social Trust and Metabolic Syndrome in a Previously Healthy Population—A Longitudinal Cohort Study in South Korea

Abstract

Background: Social trust, assessed by the trustworthiness of one another in a community, is known to have beneficial effects on health outcomes. However, the impact of social trust on metabolic syndrome (MetS) is unclear. Methods: The study subjects were extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance Service, and social trust was obtained from the Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS). Previously healthy participants were followed up from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2011, and again from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2013 for waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for newly developed MetS according to social trust quintiles. Stratified analyses were performed to determine the relationship between lifestyle behaviors and social trust. Results: Compared to the participants within the first quintile of social trust, those in the remaining quintiles had lower risks of developing MetS. The aOR with the 95% CI was 0.88 (0.79–0.98) in the 5th quintile group of social trust. Among the diagnostic criteria for MetS, waist circumference and HDL-C were statistically significant with aORs of 0.91 (0.84–0.99) and 0.88 (0.80–0.95) in the 5th quintile group. The stratified analyses showed protective effects of positive lifestyle behaviors. The aORs with 95% CIs were 0.85 (0.74–0.99) in never smokers, 0.82 (0.70–0.95) in non-drinkers and 0.87 (0.76–1.00) in the physically active in the highest level of social trust. Conclusions: Higher social trust was associated with a lower incidence of MetS. Therefore, building community with psychosocial support may be helpful in improving public health.

Relationship between socio-demographics, body composition, emotional state, and social support on metabolic syndrome risk among adults in rural Mongolia

“…Contrary to previous studies [ 20 , 23 , 54 ], however, the level of social support in this study did not affect the risk level of MetS. In previous studies, it was found that the sense of belonging as a community and a high level of social support promote physical and psychological health because they provides a sense of emotional stability in relationships among residents [ 23 ].…”

“…In previous studies, it was found that the sense of belonging as a community and a high level of social support promote physical and psychological health because they provides a sense of emotional stability in relationships among residents [ 23 ]. The finding that social support within the community affects the improvement of health outcomes (e.g., individual health level, well-being, and quality of life) are consistently supported by various studies [ 2 , 19 , 20 , 23 ]. In particular, the higher the level of emotional and informational support, the higher the confidence and competence in personal health management [ 23 , 42 , 55 ].…”

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

“…In this respect, participating more in social activities in districts with high social trust leads to frequent stimulation of the brain, which may delay the incidence of dementia. Third, low levels of social trust may increase social stress and anxiety, which may result in the stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) ( 15 ). The stimulation of the HPA axis leads to high blood cortisol levels, which can cause detrimental diseases such as dementia ( 30 , 31 ).…”

“…There are other studies from the Republic of Korea which also investigated the association between community-level social trust and various health outcomes such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and mortality. In those studies, higher community-level social trust was associated with better health status (13)(14)(15). Meanwhile, there is limited research regarding the association of community-level social trust with the risk of dementia in the Republic of Korea.…”

Association between social trust and the risk of cardiovascular disease in older adults in Korea: a nationwide retrospective cohort study

“…According to a recent study, social trust was associated with metabolic syndrome [ 23 ]. It suggests that low social trust may affect high incidence of metabolic syndrome, and metabolic syndrome increase the risk of CVD.…”