title: Study protocol: SWING--social capital and well-being in neighborhoods in Ghent.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Investing in social capital has been put forth as a potential lever for policy action to tackle health inequity. Notwithstanding, empirical evidence that supports social capital's role in the existence of health inequity is limited and inconclusive. Furthermore, social capital literature experiences important challenges with regard to (1) the level on which social capital is measured and analyzed; (2) the measurement of the concept in line with its multidimensional nature; and (3) the cross-cultural validity of social capital measurements. The Social capital and Well-being In Neighborhoods in Ghent (SWING) study is designed to meet these challenges. The collected data can be used to investigate the distribution of health problems and the association between social capital, health and well-being, both at the individual and at the neighborhood level. The main goals of the SWING study are (1) to develop a coherent multilevel dataset of indicators on individual and neighborhood social capital and well-being that contains independent indicators of neighborhood social capital at a low level of aggregation and (2) to measure social capital as a multidimensional concept. The current article describes the background and design of the SWING study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The SWING study started in 2011 and data were collected in three cross-sectional waves: the first in 2011, the second in 2012, and the third in 2013. Data collection took place in 142 neighborhoods (census tract level) in the city of Ghent (Flanders, Belgium). Multiple methods of data collection were used within each wave, including: (1) a standardized questionnaire, largely administered face-to-face interviews for neighborhood inhabitants (N = 2,730); (2) face-to-face interviews with key informants using a standardized questionnaire (N = 2,531); and (3) an observation checklist completed by the interviewers (N = 2,730 in total). The gathered data are complemented by data available within administrative data services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The opportunities and ambitions of the SWING study are discussed, together with the limitations of the database.
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law, Ghent University, Universiteitstraat 4 - 9000, Gent, Belgium. Wim.Hardyns@UGent.be.|Research Foundation Flanders, Egmontstraat 5 - 1000, Brussels, Belgium. Wim.Hardyns@UGent.be.|Department of Criminology, Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2 - 1050, Brussel, Belgium. Wim.Hardyns@UGent.be.|Faculty of Law, Antwerp University, Venusstraat 23 - 2000, Antwerpen, Belgium. Wim.Hardyns@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hardyns
authors.affiliation: Research Foundation Flanders, Egmontstraat 5 - 1000, Brussels, Belgium. Veerle.Vyncke@UGent.be.|Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Ghent University, UZ- 6 K3 - De Pintelaan 185 - 9000, Gent, Belgium. Veerle.Vyncke@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Veerle
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vyncke
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law, Ghent University, Universiteitstraat 4 - 9000, Gent, Belgium. Lieven.Pauwels@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Lieven
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pauwels
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Ghent University, UZ- 6 K3 - De Pintelaan 185 - 9000, Gent, Belgium. Sara.Willems@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Willems
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D066270:Social Capital; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult