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Cited by 311Health disparities and outcomesSocial Capital and NetworksPublic Health and Social Inequalities

Individual-Level Relationships between Social Capital and Self-Rated Health in a Bilingual Community

Hyyppä, Markku T., Mäki, Juhani·2001·Preventive Medicine
DOI 10.1006/pmed.2000.0782
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Abstract

Background Previous register studies have shown that mortality rates and disability pension statistics favor Swedish-speakers when compared to their Finnish-speaking neighbors in the same bilingual region in Finland. The purpose of the present questionnaire survey was to determine whether the Swedish-speaking community has more social capital and if the social capital is associated with health at the individual level.Methods The study population consisted of randomly selected samples of Finnish-speakers (N 1,000, response rate 66%) and Swedish-speakers (N 1,000, response rate 63%) representing all adults living in bilingual Ostrobothnian municipalities (75,000 Finnish-speakers and 78,000 Swedish-speakers). To inquire into social capital and health indicators, a bilingual questionnaire was composed to cover variables and indicators of sociodemography, health status, health behavior, and social capital (interpersonal trust and civic engagement). Data were analyzed with multiple logistic regression for two binary outcome variables: language group (Finnish vs Swedish) and self-rated health (good vs almost good/fair/poor/bad).Results When health-related variables (urban residence, migration, age, BMI, household income, smoking, singing in a choir, membership in any voluntary association, participation in community events, and long-term diseases) were controlled for, the Finnish-speakers were more often migrated (P = 0.0001) and mistrusting (P = 0.0001) and less active in community events (P = 0.0016) and in singing in a choir (P = 0.02) than the Swedish-speakers. After controlling for language and the above-mentioned health-related variables, the number of auxiliary (willing to help) friends (P = 0.001), mistrust (P = 0.037), and membership in any religious association (P = 0.0096) were significantly and independently associated with good self-rated health in the whole sample.Conclusions The Swedish-speaking community seems to hold a fair quantity of social capital, which is associated with good health. Since the ecological and socioeconomic circumstances are equal for both language communities, a great deal of health inequality can be explained by differences in social capital.

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  • Of the 33 highest quality studies, five (15%) reported mixed results.

    “Considering the 33 highest quality studies, 13 (39%) reported significantly better physical functioning among those who were more R/S (including one study at a trend level) [483–495], six (18%) found worse functioning [496–501], and five studies (15%) reported mixed results [82, 124, 502–504] (significant positive and negative associations, depending on R/S characteristic).”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [502]

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Authors
Hyyppä, M. T., & Mäki, J.
Affiliations
Social Insurance Institution (FI)
Corresponding author
Hyyppä, Markku T.
Venue
Preventive Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2001-02
Volume
32
Issue
2
Pages
148-155
ISSN
0091-7435 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1006/pmed.2000.0782
OpenAlex
W2082554352
Cited by
311
References
24
Citations by year
2024: 6 · 2023: 46 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 14
FWCI
10.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Preventive Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Capital and Networks
  • Social Sciences › Health › Public Health and Social Inequalities
Keywords
social capital, self-rated health, bilingualism, language groups, distrust, citizen participation, religious organizations, health disparities, Ostrobothnia, migration, civil society organizations
MeSH terms
Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Ethnicity, Female, Finland, Health Status, Health Status Indicators, Humans, Language, Male, Risk Factors, Social Desirability, Social Support, Socioeconomic Factors, Sweden, Health Behavior, Multivariate Analysis, Logistic Models, Odds Ratio

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