Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Capital and Health Communications

  • Chapter
Social Capital and Health

Abstract

The concept of social capital has fired the imagination of scholars, policy makers and even activists engaged in the study and practice of social change, both planned and secular. Its popularity stems partly from a promise that its presence could lead to greater integration into the community, participation in civic affairs, better public health and overall comity and cohesion among disparate social groups (Hendryx, Ahern, Lovrich, & McCurdy, 2002; Kawachi & Berkman, 2000; Kawachi & Kennedy, 1997; Kawachi, Kennedy, Lochner, & Prothrow-Stith, 1997; Sampson, Raudenbush, & Earls, 1997; Scheufele & Shah, 2000; Subramanian, Kim, & Kawachi, 2002). This promise is partly responsible for its enormous popularity in a variety of fields including political science, sociology, communication and public health.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Ahern, M. M., & Hendryx, M. S. (2003). Social capital and trust in providers. Social Science Medicine, 57(7), 1195–1203.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beaudoin, C. E., & Thorson, E. (2004). Social capital in rural and urban communities: Testing differences in media effects and models. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 81(2), 378–399.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beaudoin, C. E., Thorson, E., & Hong, T. (2006). Promoting youth health by social empowerment: A media campaign targeting social capital. Health Communication, 19(2), 175–182.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Besley, J. C. (2006). The role of entertainment television and its interactions with individual values in explaining political participation. Harvard International Journal of Press-Politics, 11(2), 41–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogart, L., & Orenstein, F. E. (1965). Mass-Media and Community Identity in an Interurban Setting. Journalism Quarterly, 42(2), 179–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bracht, N., & Tsouros, A. (1990). Principles and strategies of effective community participation. Health Promotion International, 5, 199–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brehm, J., & Rahn, W. (1997). Individual-level evidence for the causes and consequences of social capital. American Journal of Political Science, 41(3), 999–1023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cappella, J., Southwell, B., & Lee, G. (1997). The demise of interpersonal trust and civic capital: why is it happening. Paper presented at the Mass Communication and Interpersonal Divisions of the International Communication Association, Montreal, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaffee, S. H., & Berger, C. R. (1987). What Communication Scientists Do. In C. R. Berger & S. H. Chaffee (Eds.), Handbook of Communication Science (pp. 99–122). Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, J. S. (1990). Commentary: Social institutions and social theory. American Sociological Review, 55(3), 333–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demers, D., & Viswanath, K. (1999). What promotes or hinders the role of mass media as an agent of social control or social change? In D. Demers & K. Viswanath (Eds.), Mass Media, Social Control and Social Change: A Macrosocial Perspective. Ames IA: Iowa State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Demers, D. P. (1996). Does personal experience in a community increase or decrease newspaper reading? Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 73(2), 304–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duggan, A. (2006). Understanding interpersonal communication processes across health contexts: Advances in the last decade and challenges for the next decade. Journal of Health Communication, 11(1), 93–108.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Durkheim, E. (1964/1933). The division of labor in society. Translate by G. Simpson. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finnegan, J., & Viswanath, K. (1988). Community ties and use of cable television and newspapers in a Midwest suburb. Journalism Quarterly, 65(2), 456–463.

    Google Scholar 

  • Granovetter, M. S. (1973). Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360–1380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hendryx, M. S., Ahern, M. M., Lovrich, N. P., & McCurdy, A. H. (2002). Access to health care and community social capital. Health Services Research, 37(1), 87–103.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Janowitz, M. (1952). The Community Press in an Urban Setting. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang, N., & Kwak, N. (2003). A multilevel approach to civic participation – Individual length of residence, neighborhood residential stability, and their interactive effects with media use. Communication Research, 30(1), 80–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawachi, I., & Berkman, L. (2000). Social cohesion, social capital, and health. In L. Berkman & I. Kawachi (Eds.), Social Epidemiology (pp. 174–190). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kawachi, I., & Kennedy, B. P. (1997). Socioeconomic determinants of health .2. Health and social cohesion: Why care about income inequality? British Medical Journal, 314(7086), 1037–1040.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kawachi, I., Kennedy, B. P., & Glass, R. (1999). Social capital and self-rated health: a contextual analysis. American Journal of Public Health, 89(8), 1187–1193.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kawachi, I., Kennedy, B. P., Lochner, K., & Prothrow-Stith, D. (1997). Social capital, income inequality, and mortality. American Journal of Public Health, 87(9), 1491–1498.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kawachi, I., Kim, D., Coutts, A., & Subramanian, S. V. (2004). Commentary: Reconciling the three accounts of social capital. International Journal of Epidemiology, 33(4), 682–690; discussion 700–684.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamberg, L. (1997). Online support group helps patients live with, learn more about the rare skin cancer CTCL-MF. JAMA. 14; 277 (18): 1422–1423

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lochner, K. A., Kawachi, I., Brennan, R. T., & Buka, S. L. (2003). Social capital and neighborhood mortality rates in Chicago. Soc Sci Med, 56(8), 1797–1805.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loury, G. (1987). Why should we care about group inequality? Social Philosophy and Policy, 5, 249–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, J. M., Daily, K., Guo, G. S., Eveland, W. P., Bayer, J., & Yan, S., et al. (1996). Community integration, local media use, and democratic processes. Communication Research, 23(2), 179–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, J. M., Scheufele, D. A., & Moy, P. (1999). Community, communication, and participation: The role of mass media in interpersonal discussion in local political participation. Political Communication, 16, 315–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moy, P., McCluskey, M. R., McCoy, K., & Spratt, M. A. (2004). Political correlates of local news media use. Journal of Communication, 54(3), 532–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newton, K. (1999). Mass media effects: Mobilization or media malaise? British Journal of Political Science, 29, 577–599.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olien, C. N., Donohue, G. A., & Tichenor, P. J. (1985). Community structure, newspaper use and community attachment. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, McAfee, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Park, R. E. (1922). The city. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poortinga, W. (2006). Social relations or social capital? Individual and community health effects of bonding social capital. Social Science & Medicine, 63(1), 255–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A. (1998). Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 24, 1–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (1993a). Making Democracy work: Civic traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (1993b). Theprosperous community: Social capital and public life. The American Prospect, Spring, 35–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (1995). Tuning in, tuning out: the strange disappearance of social capital in America. PS: Political Science & Politics, 28(4), 664–683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (1996). The strange disappearance of Civic America. The American Prospect, 24, 65–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radin, P. (2006). ‘‘To me, it’s my life’’: Medical communication, trust, and activism in cyberspace. Social Science & Medicine, 62(3), 591–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothenbuler, E. W., Mullen, L. J., DeLaurell, R., & Ryu, C. R. (1996). Communication, community attachment, and involvement. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 73, 445–466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918–924.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheufele, D. A., & Shah, D. V. (2000). Personality strength and social capital – The role of dispositional and informational variables in the production of civic participation. Communication Research, 27(2), 107–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shah, D. V., Kwak, N., & Holbert, R. L. (2001). ‘‘Connecting’’ and ‘‘disconnecting’’ with civic life: Patterns of Internet use and the production of social capital. Political Communication, 18(2), 141–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shah, D. V., McLeod, J. M., & Yoon, S. H. (2001). Communication, context, and community – An exploration of print, broadcast, and Internet influences. Communication Research, 28(4), 464–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sobal, J., & Jackson-Beeck, M. (1981). Newspaper Non-readers: A national Profile. Journalism Quarterly, Spring(58), 9–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stamm, K. R., & Fortini-Campbell, L. (1983). The relationship of community ties to newspaper use. Journalism Monographs, 84(August).

    Google Scholar 

  • Stamm, K. R., & Weis, R. (1986). The newspaper and community integration – a study of ties to a local church community. Communication Research, 13(1), 125–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Subramanian, S. V., Kim, D. J., & Kawachi, I. (2002). Social trust and self-rated health in US communities: a multilevel analysis. Journal of Urban Health, 79(4 Suppl 1), S21–34.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Szreter, S., & Woolcock, M. (2004). Health by association? Social capital, social theory, and the political economy of public health. International Journal of Epidemiology, 33, 650–667.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thakur, A., Yang, I., Lee, M. Y., Goel, A., Ashok, A., & Fonkalsrud, E. W. (2002). Increasing social capital via local networks: Analysis in the context of a surgical practice. American Surgeon, 68(9), 776–779.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tichenor, P. J., Donohue, G. A., & Olien, C. N. (1980). Community Conflict and the Press. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toennies, F. (1964). Community and Society: Gemeinscharft und Gesellschaft. In A. Etzionio & E. Etzionio (Eds.), Social Change. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Viswanth K. (2006) Public communications and its role in reducing and eliminating health disparties. In: Thomson GE, Mitchell F, Williams MB, eds. Examining the Health Disparities Research Plan of the National Institutes of Health: Unfinished Business. Washington, D.C.: Institue of Medicine, 215–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Viswanath, K., Breen, N., Meissner, H., Moser, R. P., Hesse, B., & Steele, W. R., et al. (2006). Cancer knowledge and disparties in the information age. Journal of Health Communication, 11(Suppl 1), 1–17.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Viswanath, K., Finnegan, J. R., Rooney, B., & Potter, J. (1990). Community ties and the use of newspapers and cable TV in a rural Midwestern community. Journalism Quarterly, 67, 899–911.

    Google Scholar 

  • Viswanath, K., Randolph, W., & Finnegan, J. R. (2006). Social capital and health: civic engagement, community size,and recall of health messages. American Journal of Public Health, 96(8): 1456–1461.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wallack, L., & Dorfman, L. (1996). Media advocacy: a strategy for advancing policy and promoting health. Health Education Quarterly, 23(3), 293–317.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Westley, B., & Severin, W. (1964). A Profile of the Daily Newspaper Non-reader. Journalism Quarterly, Winter(41), 45–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wirth, L. (1964). On Cities and Social Life: Selected Papers. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dana Farber Cancer Institute & Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    K. Viswanath PhD

Authors
  1. K. Viswanath PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Kresge Buliding, 7th Floor 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Ichiro Kawachi , S.V. Subramanian  & Daniel Kim ,  & 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Springer Science + Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Viswanath, K. (2008). Social Capital and Health Communications. In: Kawachi, I., Subramanian, S., Kim, D. (eds) Social Capital and Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71311-3_12

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71311-3_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-71310-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-71311-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation