Social Capital and Health Care Experiences Among Low-Income Individuals

Abstract

Objectives. We examined relationships between social capital and health service measures among low-income individuals and assessed the psychometric properties of a theory-based measure of social capital.Methods. We conducted a statewide telephone survey of 1216 low-income New Mexico residents. Respondents reported on barriers to health care access, use of health care services, satisfaction with care, and quality of provider communication and answered questions focusing on social capital.Results. The social capital measure demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Regression analyses showed that some but not all components of social capital were related to measures of health services; for example, social support was inversely related to barriers to care (odds ratio=0.73; 95% confidence interval=0.59, 0.92).Conclusions. Social capital is a complex concept, with some elements appearing to be related to individuals' experiences with health services. More research is needed to refine social capital theory and to clarify the contributions of social capital versus structural factors (e.g., insurance coverage and income) to health care ex-

Using Citizen Scientists to Gather, Analyze, and Disseminate Information About Neighborhood Features That Affect Active Living

“…Parental consent and adolescent assent were obtained for adolescents and older adults provided informed consent. Prior to conducting the neighborhood assessment, citizen scientists completed an interviewer-administered survey using items adapted from previously validated instruments to assess demographics, type of current physical activity,[22] perceived barriers to physical activity,[23] self-efficacy for engaging in physical activity, [24] neighborhood perceptions,[23, 25, 26] social support,[24, 27] and technology (use[23] and self-efficacy[28]). The Discovery Tool app and all the surveys were available in both English and Spanish languages.…”

Social capital and the utilization of maternal and child health services in India: A multilevel analysis

“…Consistent with procedures used in previous studies on social capital and health, exploratory factor analysis was used to create composite indicators of theoretically distinct components of social capital (Chuang & Chuang, 2008; Eriksson et al, 2011; Perry et al, 2008). Appendix 1 provides a detailed description of the exploratory factor analysis methods and results.…”

“…Civic participation, which is often measured by membership in community groups, can affect health care use through formally organized activities that address community issues (Carpiano, 2006) or through the informal provision of instrumental and psychosocial support to overcome barriers to care (Perry et al, 2008). Certain types of group membership can also lead to negative outcomes by establishing strong intragroup ties, or bonding social capital, which leads to conformity to traditional norms and restricts individual freedom to make appropriate health care decisions (Portes, 1998).…”

Income inequality and mental illness-related morbidity and resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Specifically, we examine the relationship between income inequality and prevalence and incidence of mental disorder. Social capital and social cohesion, which are affected by income inequality, are thought to facilitate access to health care 21 and to increase resilience, defined as the ability to cope with adversity 22 . Therefore, we also investigated the relationship of income inequality with use of mental health services and resilience.…”