Volunteer transitions among older adults: the role of human, social, and cultural capital in later life. A prospective study of individual-level social capital and major depression in the United States Can social capital be intentionally generated? a randomized trial from rural South Africa. Interrelation of Sport Participation, Physical Activity, Social Capital and Mental Health in Disadvantaged Communities: A SEM-Analysis Social capital and health-purely a question of context? Intergenerational interaction, social capital and health: results from a randomised controlled trial in Brazil. Is social capital a useful conceptual tool for exploring community level influences on HIV infection? An exploratory case study from South Africa Population based study of social and productive activities as predictors of survival among elderly Americans Effects of a peer-led senior health education program. Low workplace social capital as a predictor of depression: the Finnish Public Sector Study. Health promotion for the oldest of old people. Workplace Social Capital and Mental Health among Chinese Employees: A Multi-Level, Cross-Sectional Study Psychosocial influences on older adults' interest in participating in bowel cancer screening. Social capital and health: Does egalitarianism matter? A literature review Effects of a health promotion program on sustaining health behaviors in older adults. Longitudinal effects of preventive services on health behaviors among an elderly cohort. An evaluation of the effectiveness of a community mentoring service for socially isolated older people: a controlled trial
OBJECTIVES We aim to underst and how human , social , and cultural capitals are associated with the volunteer process , that is , engagement ( starting ) , intensity ( number of hours ) , and cessation ( stopping ) , among older adults . METHOD Data from the 2000 through 2008 Health and Retirement Study and the 2001 through 2009 Consumption and Activity Mail Survey provide a sample of 4,526 respondents . R and om-effects pooled time series analyses incorporate not only the presence of various types of capital but also the quality of that capital . RESULTS Human and cultural capitals were positively associated with increased volunteer involvement . Effects of social capital ( relationships in the family , employment status , and the community ) depended on the quality of the relationships , not necessarily on their presence alone . DISCUSSION Results suggest that bolstering older adults ' capitals , particularly among lower socioeconomic status groups , can increase volunteer engagement and intensity and reduce cessation . Additionally , a variety of organizational policies including respite programs for caregivers and employer policies allowing employees to reduce their work hours might indirectly affect participation rates and commitment . Potential pools of volunteers exist in families , workplaces , and religious organizations , but more research is necessary to identify how to recruit and retain individuals in social networks where volunteer participatory rates are low Study objective : To investigate prospect ively the associations between depression and cognitive social capital ( social trust , sense of belonging , mutual aid ) and structural social capital ( volunteer work and community participation ) . Methods : This was a prospect i ve study that was carried out in the USA . The participants were a nationally representative sample of 724 English-speaking non-institutionalised adults ( 25–74 years old ) who participated in the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States ( MIDUS ) in 1995–6 and the MIDUS Psychological Experience Follow-Up study in 1998 . Main results : In multivariable adjusted logistic regression analyses , those who trusted their neighbours were less likely to develop major depression ( MD ) during follow-up than those who reported low levels of social capital on these dimensions ( adjusted OR of MD for high vs low trust = 0.43 ; 95 % CI 0.20 to 0.93 , adjusted for MD at baseline , age , gender , race , education , working status , marital status , physical health and extroversion traits ) . Structural dimensions of social capital were not associated with MD in adjusted models . Conclusions : Perceptions of higher levels of cognitive social capital ( trust of neighbours ) are associated with lower risks of developing MD during 2–3 year follow-up . However , after excluding participants with MD at the baseline , the association between trust and MD became non-significant . Structural dimensions were not associated with MD While much descriptive research has documented positive associations between social capital and a range of economic , social and health outcomes , there have been few intervention studies to assess whether social capital can be intentionally generated . We conducted an intervention in rural South Africa that combined group-based microfinance with participatory gender and HIV training in an attempt to catalyze changes in solidarity , reciprocity and social group membership as a means to reduce women 's vulnerability to intimate partner violence and HIV . A cluster r and omized trial was used to assess intervention effects among eight study villages . In this paper , we examined effects on structural and cognitive social capital among 845 participants and age and wealth matched women from households in comparison villages . This was supported by a diverse portfolio of qualitative research . After two years , adjusted effect estimates indicated higher levels of structural and cognitive social capital in the intervention group than the comparison group , although confidence intervals were wide . Qualitative research illustrated the ways in which economic and social gains enhanced participation in social groups , and the positive and negative dynamics that emerged within the program . There were numerous instances where individuals and village loan centres worked to address community concerns , both working through existing social networks , and through the establishment of new partnerships with local leadership structures , police , the health sector and NGOs . This is among the first experimental trials suggesting that social capital can be exogenously strengthened . The implication s for community interventions in public health are further explored Background The Health through Sport conceptual model links sport participation with physical , social and psychological outcomes and stresses the need for more underst and ing between these outcomes . The present study aims to uncover how sport participation , physical activity , social capital and mental health are interrelated by examining these outcomes in one model . Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in nine disadvantaged communities in Antwerp ( Belgium ) . Two hundred adults ( aged 18–56 ) per community were r and omly selected and visited at home to fill out a question naire on socio-demographics , sport participation , physical activity , social capital and mental health . A sample of 414 adults participated in the study . Results Structural Equation Modeling analysis showed that sport participation ( β = .095 ) and not total physical activity ( β = .027 ) was associated with better mental health . No association was found between sport participation and community social capital ( β = .009 ) or individual social capital ( β = .045 ) . Furthermore , only community social capital was linked with physical activity ( β = .114 ) , individual social capital was not ( β = -.013 ) . In contrast , only individual social capital was directly associated with mental health ( β = .152 ) , community social capital was not ( β = .070 ) . Conclusion This study emphasizes the importance of sport participation and individual social capital to improve mental health in disadvantaged communities . It further gives a unique insight into the functionalities of how sport participation , physical activity , social capital and mental health are interrelated . Implication s for policy are that cross-sector initiatives between the sport , social and health sector need to be supported as their outcomes are directly linked to one another Debate still surrounds which level of analysis ( individual vs. context ual ) is most appropriate to investigate the effects of social capital on health . Applying multilevel ecometric analyses to British Household Panel Survey data , we estimated fixed and r and om effects between five individual- , household- and small area-level social capital indicators and general health . We further compared the variance in health attributable to each level using intraclass correlations . Our results demonstrate that association between social capital and health depends on indicator type and level investigated , with one quarter of total individual-level health variance found at the household level . However , individual-level social capital variables and other health determinants appear to influence context ual-level variance the most Recent years have seen a burgeoning of intergenerational programmes aim ing to improve the well being of participants . However , very few programmes have been formally evaluated . In this paper we report results from a r and omised controlled trial of a school-based intergenerational intervention undertaken in Brazil . R and omly selected sample s of 253 adolescents and 266 elders aged 60 and over resident in the school 's catchment area were administered a question naire including questions on cognitive components of social capital , family relationships , and self-rated health . Participants were then r and omly allocated to control and intervention groups . The intervention comprised participation in a 4 month programme of intergenerational activities in which the elders shared their memories with the students . At the end of the intervention the question naire was re-administered to the sample s. High proportions ( 85 - 95 % ) of both sample s completed the question naires but compliance with the intervention was low in the elderly group . In the analysis of results from the elderly sample , we therefore compared the control group with the group assigned to the intervention ( intention to treat analysis ) . Results showed that adolescents in the intervention group were nearly three times more likely to rate their health as good than those in the control group , but also more likely to judge that most people were selfish . In the elderly sample , those from the intervention group were over twice as likely as those from the control group to report positively on the helpfulness of neighbours ; judge most people to be honest or consider their family relationships as good . There were no significant differences between groups on other outcome measures . These results suggest that structured intergenerational activities may have positive effects on some aspects of social capital for both adolescents and elderly people , although further research is needed to eluci date the processes involved and the extent to which the findings are context specific . This study is the first to use a controlled trial design to evaluate this type of intervention and is valuable in showing that this design can be used in interventions of this kind , and also the difficulties involved Abstract This paper reports on an exploratory study investigating links between sexual health and social capital in a South African mining community . In this study , social capital is defined in terms of people 's membership of voluntary community organizations ( e.g. church , residents ' associations , youth groups ) . Using biomedical and social survey data from a stratified r and om sample of 1,211 Carletonville residents , we tested the hypothesis that organizational members were less likely to have HIV . Multivariate analysis of variance sought to identify significant associations between nine organizational memberships and HIV infection , as well as three risk factors for infection ( casual partners , condom use with casual partners and alcohol consumption ) . Analysis yielded a range of significant results , but findings varied across age and gender , and were not all in the hypothesized direction . For example , young men and young women who belonged to sports clubs were less likely to be HIV-positive , and young women who belonged to sports clubs were more likely to use condoms with casual partners than non-members . Amongst members of stokvels ( voluntary savings clubs accompanied by social festivities ) , however , young men were more likely to be HIV-positive , women of all ages were more likely to have a casual partner , and both young men and young women were more likely to drink alcohol than non-members . While our exploratory study has produced sufficient evidence to justify the need for further research in this area , it also highlights that the interface between HIV infection and social capital is a complex area that defies easy generalization Abstract Objectives : To examine any association between social , productive , and physical activity and 13 year survival in older people . Design : Prospect i ve cohort study with annual mortality follow up . Activity and other measures were assessed by structured interviews at baseline in the participants ' homes Proportional hazards models were used to model survival from time of initial interview . Setting : City of New Haven , Connecticut , United States . Participants : 2761 men and women from a r and om population sample of 2812 people aged 65 and older . Main outcome measure : Mortality from all causes during 13 years of follow up . Results : All three types of activity were independently associated with survival after age , sex , race/ethnicity , marital status , income , body mass index , smoking , functional disability , and history of cancer , diabetes , stroke , and myocardial infa rct ion were controlled for . Conclusions : Social and productive activities that involve little or no enhancement of fitness lower the risk of all cause mortality as much as fitness activities do . This suggests that in addition to increased cardiopulmonary fitness , activity may confer survival benefits through psychosocial pathways . Social and productive activities that require less physical exertion may complement exercise programmes and may constitute alternative interventions for frail elderly people . Key messages Little is known about predictors of survival among elderly people Physical activity is clearly good for health , but the potential benefits of social activities have not been studied Social and productive activities are as effective as fitness activities in lowering the risk of death Enhanced social activities may help to increase the quality and length of The effect of a health education course guided by peers aged 55 and over was evaluated . The aim of the course was to empower older adults to participate in society and to promote their wellbeing . Evaluation included determining the effect on attitude toward aging , self-efficacy , perception of the societal opinion regarding the place of the elderly in society ( social influence ) , social participation , perceived social support , and wellbeing of the participants aged 55 to 79 years . A quasi-experimental approach was used . The effect on the experimental group of course participants was studied compared to a  control group of older adults on the waiting list .  The respondents filled out postal question naires at three time points ( before starting the course ( t0 ) , immediately after termination ( t1 ) and three months later ( t2 ) ) . Using a multivariate analysis procedure , a significant interaction effect between time of measurement and group membership was found with respect to the outcome of social influence . At t1 an effect was absent , but at t2 , the current idea that elderly occupy a marginal position in society , found less favour with the experimental group than the control group . Moreover perceived social support and subjective health improved significantly at t1 and t2 among the course members , when compared to the control group . No effect was found on attitude , self-efficacy , social participation and wellbeing in the short time span of a three months follow-up In a prospect i ve cohort study of Finnish public sector employees , the authors examined the association between workplace social capital and depression . Data were obtained from 33,577 employees , who had no recent history of antidepressant treatment and who reported no history of physician-diagnosed depression at baseline in 2000 - 2002 . Their risk of depression was measured with two indicators : recorded purchases of antidepressants until December 31 , 2005 , and self-reports of new-onset depression diagnosed by a physician in the follow-up survey in 2004 - 2005 . Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to explore whether self-reported and aggregate-level workplace social capital predicted indicators of depression at follow-up . The odds for antidepressant treatment and physician-diagnosed depression were 20 - 50 % higher for employees with low self-reported social capital than for those reporting high social capital . These associations were not accounted for by sex , age , marital status , socioeconomic position , place of work , smoking , alcohol use , physical activity , and body mass index . The association between social capital and self-reported depression attenuated but remained significant after further adjustment for baseline psychological distress ( a proxy for undiagnosed mental health problems ) . Aggregate-level social capital was not associated with subsequent depression AIM The aim of this study was to explore the factors that contribute to health promotion in the oldest old and the barriers that prevent it . METHOD A non-r and om sample ( n = 52 ) of people aged 80 and older participated in a descriptive correlational study . Respondents completed a series of two Likert-type question naires . The  Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II  ( Walker et al 1995 ) and  Barriers to Health Promoting Activities  for Disabled Persons Scale ( Becker et al 1991 ) were used to measure health behaviours . RESULTS Differences were noted between the age groups ( 80 - 90 and 91 - 101 ) for health responsibility , physical activity and nutrition . Impairment was the major barrier to health promotion . CONCLUSION To foster optimal living , the health , illness , function and motivation as well as age of older adults must be considered . They should be encouraged to pursue physical , social and intellectual activity , which can enable them to have active and fulfilling lives Background Whereas the majority of previous research on social capital and health has been on residential neighborhoods and communities , the evidence remains sparse on workplace social capital . To address this gap in the literature , we examined the association between  workplace social capital  and health status among Chinese employees in a large , multi-level , cross-sectional study . Methods By employing a two-stage stratified r and om sampling procedure , 2,796 employees were identified from 35 workplaces in Shanghai during March to November 2012 .  Workplace social capital was assessed using a vali date d and psychometrically tested eight-item measure , and the Chinese language version of the WHO-Five Well-Being Index ( WHO-5 ) was used to assess mental health . Control variables included sex , age , marital status , education level , occupation status , smoking status , physical activity , and job stress . Multilevel logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore whether individual- and workplace-level social capital was associated with mental health status . Results In total , 34.9 % of workers reported poor mental health ( WHO-5<13 ) . After controlling for individual-level socio-demographic and lifestyle variables , compared to workers with the highest quartile of personal social capital , workers with the third , second , and lowest quartiles exhibited 1.39 to 3.54 times greater odds of poor mental health , 1.39 ( 95 % CI : 1.10–1.75 ) , 1.85 ( 95 % CI : 1.38–2.46 ) and 3.54 ( 95 % CI : 2.73–4.59 ) , respectively . Corresponding odds ratios for workplace-level social capital were 0.95 ( 95 % CI : 0.61–1.49 ) , 1.14 ( 95 % CI : 0.72–1.81 ) and 1.63 ( 95 % CI : 1.05–2.53 ) for the third , second , and lowest quartiles , respectively . Conclusions  Higher workplace social  capital is associated with lower odds of poor mental health among Chinese employees . Promoting social capital at the workplace may contribute to enhancing employees ’ mental health in China BACKGROUND As part of a multicenter , r and omized controlled trial of the efficacy of flexible sigmoidoscopy for the prevention of bowel cancer , an investigation of the predictors of screening interest was carried out in a sub sample of older adults . METHOD The aim of the study was to establish the predictive power of the Health Belief Model ( HBM ) and to evaluate the contribution of HBM elements in mediating the effect of other demographic and health variables which have been found to be associated with screening interest and participation . A total of 5,099 participants were sent a postal question naire which examined screening interest , attitudes toward screen ing ( benefits and barriers ) , perceived bowel cancer risk , bowel cancer worry , bowel symptoms , health status , state anxiety , and optimism . A total of 3,648 question naires were returned completed , giving a response rate of 71.5 % . RESULTS The results showed that threat , barriers , and benefits explained 47 % of the variance in interest . Demographic and health variables were also associated with screening interest , although most of their effect was mediated by the HBM constructs . DISCUSSION This community study in older adults showed a high level of interest in participating in screening . The large sample size provided the opportunity to test the value of the HBM model and to examine mediation of demographic and health variables . The HBM proved to be a good model of screening interest . These results further our underst and ing of the decision processes in participating in cancer screening and point to directions to increase the level of participation in community sample The aim of the paper is to critically review the notion of  social capital  and review empirical literature on the association between social capital and health across countries . The methodology used for the review includes a systematic search on electronic data bases for peer- review ed published literature . We categorize studies according to level of analysis ( single and multilevel ) and examine whether studies reveal a significant health impact of individual and area level social capital . We compare the study conclusions according to the country 's degrees of economic egalitarianism . Regardless of study design , our findings indicate that a positive association ( fixed effect ) exists between social capital and better health irrespective of countries degree of egalitarianism . However , we find that the between-area variance ( r and om effect ) in health tends to be lower in more egalitarian countries than in less egalitarian countries . Our tentative conclusion is that an association between social capital and health at the individual level is robust with respect to the degree of egalitarianism within a country . Area level or context ual social capital may be less salient in egalitarian countries in explaining health differences across places BACKGROUND Controversy exists regarding the optimal way to provide health promotion education to the elderly . This prospect i ve r and omized study evaluated the effectiveness of individualized assessment and counseling coupled with the receipt of a written health plan on client adherence to health behavior recommendations . METHODS Two hundred thirty-seven ethnically diverse and predominantly low-income adults 60 and older , participating for the first time in an established statewide public health prevention program delivered in both rural and urban clinics , were recruited and r and omly assigned to treatment and control groups . All participants received a st and ardized assessment that included a health history , nutrition assessment , and limited physical exam from a public health nurse . The treatment group additionally received a written personal health plan and individualized counseling to support implementation of the plan . Both groups were interviewed after one year to determine their adherence to the original recommendations . RESULTS Seventeen preventive services and health behaviors were evaluated . There were no statistically significant differences between the groups on health care use and previous health behaviors at baseline . Using logistic regression and controlling for socioeconomic and demographic variables , we found that the treatment group that received a personal health plan and counseling completed significantly more preventive referrals and health behavior changes ( P < .001 ) . CONCLUSIONS A client-centered planning process with supportive counseling by public health nurses , combined with health plans provided to clients , can significantly increase the prevention measures taken by older adults This study examines the longitudinal ( 48 months ) effects of a preventive services intervention trial with Medicare beneficiaries . The health promotion intervention incorporated a series of workshops and targeted individualized counseling dealing primarily with nutrition and exercise . All subjects completed a health risk appraisal ( HRA ) question naire , which served as a dependent measure . Results show significant , positive changes in intervention subjects in two activity outcomes ,  aerobic activity and stretching exercises .  Although previous research on this cohort found significant positive changes in nutrition behaviors at 12-month follow-up , these differences were not sustained over the three-year follow-up period . The results offer encouragement that continued research on health promotion will eventually produce protocol s for select activities that will improve the status of seniors ' health Background Social isolation affects a significant proportion of older people and is associated with poor health outcomes . The current evidence base regarding the effectiveness of interventions targeting social isolation is poor , and the potential utility of mentoring for this purpose has not previously been rigorously evaluated . The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a community-based mentoring service for improving mental health , social engagement and physical health for socially isolated older people . Methods This prospect i ve controlled trial compared a sample of  mentoring service clients ( intervention group )  with a matched control group  recruited through general practice . One hundred and ninety five participants from each group were matched on mental wellbeing and social activity scores . Assessment s were conducted at baseline and at six month follow-up . The primary outcome was the Short Form Health Survey v2 ( SF-12 ) mental health component score ( MCS ) . Secondary outcomes included the SF-12 physical health component score ( PCS ) , EuroQol EQ-5D , Geriatric Depression Score ( GDS-10 ) , social activity , social support and morbidities . Results We found no evidence that mentoring was beneficial across a wide range of participant outcomes measuring health status , social activity and depression . No statistically significant between-group differences were observed at follow-up in the primary outcome ( p = 0.48 ) and in most secondary outcomes . Identifying suitable matched pairs of intervention and control group participants proved challenging . Conclusions The results of this trial provide no substantial evidence supporting the use of community mentoring as an effective means of alleviating social isolation in older people . Further evidence is needed on the effectiveness of community-based interventions targeting social isolation . When using non-r and omised design s , there are considerable challenges in the recruitment of suitable matches from a community sample .Trial registration SCIE Research Register for Social Care
According to sufficiently reported outcomes , social capital interventions showed mixed effects on quality of life , well-being and self-perceived health and were generally ineffective on loneliness , mood and mortality .
Conclusions Our review highlights the lack of evidence and the diversity among trials , while supporting the potential of social capital interventions to reach comprehensive health effects in older adults
Background Observational studies show that social capital is a protective health factor .
Therefore , we aim to assess the currently unclear health impact of social capital interventions targeting older adults .