Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neighbourhood Social Capital and Women’s Self-Rated Health – Is There an Age Pattern? A Multi-Level Study from Northern Sweden

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Social Capital as a Health Resource in Later Life: The Relevance of Context

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Aging ((Int. Perspect. Aging,volume 11))

Abstract

Existing knowledge on the link between neighbourhood social capital and health suggests that associations vary for different population sub-groups. Previous studies show positive health effects of living in a high social capital neighbourhood for women but not for men. Beyond a gendered pattern, there are reasons to believe that the association between neighbourhood social capital and health differ by age. Even if access to (individual) social capital is likely to decrease by age, the health benefits from living in a high social capital neighbourhood might be greater for older than younger people. This study aimed to investigate the associations between neighbourhood social capital and self-rated health for women in different age groups, to understand if the health effects of neighbourhood social capital are influenced by age. Multilevel regression analyses included data on 3230 women (level 1) nested within 49 neighbourhoods (level 2) in the Umeå region in Northern Sweden. The results show that living in a high social capital neighbourhood increases the OR for good–fair self-rated health for older women (60–84 years), while no significant associations was found for middle-aged (31–59 years) and younger (18–34 years) women. Since community involvement tends to be gendered in that women throughout life are expected to be those “creating community”, the health benefits of living in a high social capital neighbourhood for older women might come as a reward after a life-long “duty” of supporting others. A more equal involvement of men and women in community life would potentially benefit younger women, as well as men in all ages.

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 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
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

References

  • Baum, F. E., Ziersch, A. M., Zhang, G., & Osborne, K. (2009). Do perceived neighborhood cohesion and safety contribute to neighborhood differences in health? Health & Place, 15, 925–934.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L. F., & Glass, T. (2000). Social integration, social networks, social support, and health. In L.F. Berkman & I. Kawachi (Eds.), Social epidemiology (pp. 137–173). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Westport: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cagney, K. A., & Wen, M. (2008). Social capital and aging-related outcomes. In I. Kawachi, S. V. Subramanian, & D. Kim (Eds.), Social capital and health (pp. 239–258). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, C. (2000). Social capital and health: Contextualizing health promotion within local community networks. In S. Baron, J. Field, & T. Schuller (Eds.), Social capital: Critical perspectives (pp. 182–196). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, C., Wood, R., & Kelly, M. (1999). Social capital and health. London: Health Education Authority.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cannuscio, C., Block, J., & Kawachi, I. (2003). Social capital and successful aging: The role of senior housing. Annual Internal Medicine, 139, 395–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W. (2002). Gender: Short introductions. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cramm, J. M., van Dijk, H. M., & Nieboer, A. P. (2012). The importance of neighborhood social cohesion and social capital for the well being of older adults in the community. The Gerontologist, 53, 142–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diez Roux, A. V. (2001). Investing neighborhood and area effects on health. American Journal of Public health, 91, 1783–1789.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diez Roux, A. V. (2004). The study of group-level factors in epidemiology: Rethinking variables, study designs, and analytical approaches. Epidemiologic Reviews, 26, 104–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmelin, M., & Eriksson, M. (2012). Kan socialt kapital “byggas in” i våra bostadsområden och därmed förbättra invånarnas upplevda och mentala hälsa? Malmö: Kommissionen för ett socialt hållbart Malmö. [Can social capital be “built” in our neighborhoods, and thereby improving residents’ perceived and mental health? Commission for a socially sustainable Malmö]

    Google Scholar 

  • Engström, K., Mattsson, F., Järleborg, A., & Hallqvist, J. (2008). Contextual social capital as a risk factor for poor self rated health: A multilevel analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 66, 2268–2280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, M., & Emmelin, M. (2013). What constitutes a health-enabling neighborhood? A grounded theory situational analysis addressing the significance of social capital and gender. Social Science & Medicine, 97, 112–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, M., Dahlgren, L., Janlert, U., Weinehall, L., & Emmelin, M. (2010). Social capital, gender, and educational level—Impact on self-rated health. The Open Public Health Journal, 3, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, M., Ng, N., Weinehall, L., & Emmelin, M. (2011). The importance of gender and conceptualization for understanding the association between collective social capital and health: A multilevel analysis from northern Sweden. Social Science & Medicine, 73, 264–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glass, T., & Balfour, J. L. (2003). Neighborhoods, aging, and functional limitations. In I. Kawachi & L. F. Berkman (Eds.), Neighborhoods and health (pp. 303–334). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Harrysson, L. (2013). An equal share, that’s my medicine. Doctoral dissertation, Umeå University, Umeå.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffords, C. R. (1983). The situational relationship between age and the fear of crime. International Journal on Aging and Human Development, 17, 103–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kavanagh, A. M., Bentley, R., Turrell, G., Broom, D. H., & Subramanian, S. V. (2006). Does gender modify associations between self-rated health and the social and economic characteristics of local environments? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 60, 490–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawachi, I., & Berkman, L. (2001). Social ties and mental health. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 78, 458–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawachi, I., Subramanian, S. V., & Kim, D. (2008) Social capital and health: A decade of progress and beyond. In I. Kawachi, S. V. Subramanian, & D. Kim (Eds.), Social Capital and Health (pp. 1–26). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, D., Subramanian, S. V., & Kawachi, I. (2006). Bonding versus bridging social capital and their associations with self-rated health: A multilevel analysis of 40 US communities. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 60, 116–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, D., Subramanian, S. V., & Kawachi, I. (2008). Social capital and physical health: A systematic review of the literature. In I. Kawachi, S. V. Subramanian, & D. Kim (Eds.), Social Capital and Health (pp. 139–190). New York: Springer.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leinonen, R., Heikkinen, E., & Jylhä, M. (2002). Changes in health, functional performance and activity changes in self-rated health. A 10-year follow-up study in older people. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 35, 79–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Locher, J. L., Ritchie, C. S., Roth, D. L., Sawyer Baker, P., Bodner, E. V., & Allman, R. M. (2005). Social isolation, support and capital and nutritional risk in an older sample: Ethnic and gender differences. Social Science & Medicine, 60, 747–761.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macintyre, S., Ellaway, A., & Cummins, S. (2002). Place effects on health: How can we conceptualize, operationalize and measure them. Social Science & Medicine, 55, 125–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, S., & Mair, C. A. (2010). Social capital across the life course: Age and gendered patterns of network resources. Sociological Forum, 25, 335–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohnen, S., Groenewegen, P. P., Völker, B., & Flap, H. (2011). Neighborhood social capital and individual health. Social Science & Medicine, 72, 660–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nyqvist, F., Nygård, M., & Jakobsson, G. (2012). Social participation, interpersonal trust, and health: A study of 65- and 75-year-olds in western Finland. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 40, 431–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (1993). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robert, S. A., & Li, L. W. (2001). Age variation in the relationship between community socioeconomic status and adult health. Research on Aging, 23, 234–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rostila, M. (2008). Healthy bridges. Studies of social capital, welfare, and health. Doctoral dissertation, Stockholm University, Stockholm.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snelgrove, J. W., Pikhart, H., & Stafford, M. (2009). A multilevel analysis of social capital and self-rated health: Evidence from the British household panel survey. Social Science & Medicine, 68, 1993–2001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Son, J., & Lin, N. (2008). Social capital and civic action: A network-based approach. Social Science Research, 37, 330–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stafford, M., Cummins, S., Macintyre, S., Ellaway, A., & Marmot, M. (2005). Gender differences in the associations between health and neighbourhood environment. Social Science & Medicine, 60, 1681–1692.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundquist, K., & Yang, M. (2007). Linking social capital and self-rated health: A multilevel analysis of 11,175 men and women in Sweden. Health & Place, 13, 324–334.

    Article  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  Google Scholar 

  • Wen, M., Cagney, K. A., & Christakis, N. (2005). Effect of specific aspects of community social environment on the mortality of individuals diagnosed with serious illness. Social Science & Medicine, 61, 1119–1134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ziersch, A. M. (2005). Health implications of access to social capital: Findings from an Australian study. Social Science & Medicine, 61, 2119–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Unit of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    Malin Eriksson & Nawi Ng

Authors
  1. Malin Eriksson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nawi Ng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Malin Eriksson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Social Policy, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Fredrica Nyqvist

  2. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Developmental Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Anna K. Forsman

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Eriksson, M., Ng, N. (2015). Neighbourhood Social Capital and Women’s Self-Rated Health – Is There an Age Pattern? A Multi-Level Study from Northern Sweden. In: Nyqvist, F., Forsman, A. (eds) Social Capital as a Health Resource in Later Life: The Relevance of Context. International Perspectives on Aging, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9615-6_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation