Do bonding, bridging, and linking social capital affect preventable hospitalizations?
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between social capital and preventable hospitalizations (PHs).


METHODS
Administrative and secondary data for Florida (hospital discharge, U.S. Census, voting, nonprofits, faith-based congregations, uninsured, safety net and primary care providers, and hospital beds).


METHODS
Cross-sectional, zip code-level multivariate analyses to examine the associations among social capital, primary care resources, and adult PHs and pediatric asthma hospitalizations.


METHODS
Data were merged at the zip code-level (n=837).


RESULTS
Few of the social capital measures were independently associated with PHs: longer mean commute times (reduced bonding social capital) were related to higher adult rates; more racial and ethnic diversity (increased bridging social capital) was related to lower nonelderly adult rates but higher pediatric rates; more faith-based organizations (linking social capital) were associated with higher nonelderly adult rates. Having a safety net clinic within 20 miles was associated with lower adult rates, while general internists were associated with higher rates. More pediatricians per capita were related to higher pediatric rates.


CONCLUSIONS
The importance of social capital for health care access is unclear. Some bonding and bridging ties were related to PHs, but differentially across age groups; more work is needed to operationalize linking ties.
Derose
Kathryn Pitkin
KP
RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, PO Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138, USA.
D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004777:Environment; D005431:Florida; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors