Do health behaviors mediate the association between social capital and health?
BACKGROUND
There is increasing evidence that social capital is important for people's health. However, there is still considerable disagreement about the specific pathways that links social capital to health. This study investigates the hypothesis that the association between social capital and health is mediated by people's health behaviors.


METHODS
Data from the 2002 Health Survey for England (n = 7394) were used and analyzed from a multilevel perspective. The association between social capital and self-rated health were examined before and after controlling for smoking, alcohol intake, and fruit/vegetable consumption.


RESULTS
Social capital was found to be associated with self-rated health, as well as with the different health behaviors. In addition, the health behaviors were significantly related to self-rated health. However, controlling for smoking, alcohol intake, and fruit/vegetable consumption did not substantially affect the association between social capital and self-rated health.


CONCLUSIONS
The results demonstrate that social capital and support are important determinants of self-rated health and health behaviors. But only limited support was found for the hypothesis that health behaviors mediate the association between social capital and health.
Poortinga
Wouter
W
Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, Bute Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3NB, UK. PoortingaW@Cardiff.ac.uk
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D019058:Community Networks; D003256:Community Participation; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004032:Diet; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors