Social Capital and Health

This book discusses social capital a concept that originated in the social sciences and its application to the field of public health. The editors take care to define the concept of social capital, describe its theoretical origins, and discuss the controversies and debates surrounding the use of the concept in public health research and practice. The book provides a comprehensive "tool kit" of current approaches to measure social capital. Further, the book surveys the empirical evidence linking social capital to physical and mental health outcomes, health-related behaviors (like smoking), and aging-related outcomes. There is a growing demand for material on social capital, particularly in the applied fashion presented here.

Kawachi is a well-known researcher and author in this field The book is addressing social determinants of health which is a hot topic within Public Health There is a growing demand for material on social capital, particularly in the applied fashion presented here

Auteur

Ichiro Kawachi is a Professor of Social Epidemiology in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is also Director of the Harvard Center for Society and Health. He has authored several books with Oxford University Press and New Press on society and health.

S.V. Subramanian is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has a PhD in geography with specialization in multilevel statistical methods, and he also has a master's degree in the field of development studies.

Daniel Kim is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed residency training in community medicine at the University of Toronto. He also has a doctor of public health degree in social epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Texte du rabat

As interest in social capital has grown over the past decadeparticularly in public health so has the lack of consensus on exactly what it is and what makes it worth studying. Social Capital and Health presents the state of the debate, from definition to conceptualization, from effective measurement to real-world applications. The 21 contributors (headed by Ichiro Kawachi, a widely respected leader in the field, and including physicians, economists, and public health experts) discuss the potentials and pitfalls in current research, and salient examples of social capital concepts informing public health practice.

The book's first section traces the theoretical origins of social capital, and the strengths and limitations of current methodologies of measuring it. The second half surveys the empirical data on social capital in key health areas. Among the highlights:

• Toward a definition: Individual or group entity? Negative as well as positive effects?

• Measurement methods: survey, sociometric, ethnographic, experimental

• The relationship between social capital and physical health and health behaviors: smoking, substance abuse, physical activity, sexual activity

• Social capital and mental health: early findings

• Social capital and the aging community

• Applying social capital to health communications

• Social capital and disaster preparedness

Social Capital and Health is certain to inspire researchers and advanced students in public health, health behavior, and social epidemiology. The collective insight found in these diverse perspectives should inspire a new generation of research on this topic, and lead to the development of interventions to improve public health.

Contenu
Social Capital and Health.- Social Capital and Health.- Measurement of Social Capital.- Measurement of Individual Social Capital.- The Measurement of Community Social Capital Through Surveys.- Network-Based Approaches for Measuring Social Capital.- Actual or Potential Neighborhood Resources for Health.- Social Capital and Public Health.- The Economic Approach to Cooperation and Trust.- Empirical Evidence.- Social Capital and Physical Health.- Social Capital and Mental Health.- Social Capital and Health-Related Behaviors.- Social Capital and Aging-Related Outcomes*.- Social Capital and Health Communications.- Disaster Preparedness and Social Capital.- Social Capital and Health.