title: Individual and neighbourhood social capital and all-cause mortality in Brazilian adults: a prospective multilevel study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The relationship between social capital and mortality is not clear-cut. There have been few longitudinal studies investigating this association so far. The objective was to assess the effect of different dimensions of social capital on mortality among adults of a Brazilian city.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective multilevel study. Baseline data were obtained from a population-based random sample of 846 adults (aged 18 years or more) residing in 38 neighbourhoods (census blocks).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were interviewed in 2006-7 and their vital status investigated in 2013. Social capital was assessed by five scales (social cohesion, informal social control, neighbours' support, social action and political efficacy). The outcome was all-cause mortality. Data analysis used multilevel logistic regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the individual level social cohesion was positively related to mortality in the unadjusted model but this association lost significance after adjustment for other variables in multivariable models. At the neighbourhood level, high mortality rates were associated with low social action independently of demographic, socio-economic, behavioural and health-related variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found more evidence for a contextual than individual level effect of social capital on mortality.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Avenida Unisinos 950, São Leopoldo, RS 93022-000, Brazil. Electronic address: msppattussi@unisinos.br.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Pattussi
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Avenida Unisinos 950, São Leopoldo, RS 93022-000, Brazil; Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde, Rua Sarmento Leite 245, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil. Electronic address: mtolinto@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Anselmo Olinto
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Avenida Unisinos 950, São Leopoldo, RS 93022-000, Brazil. Electronic address: helenarower@gmail.com.
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Rower
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Avenida Unisinos 950, São Leopoldo, RS 93022-000, Brazil. Electronic address: fernandabairros@gmail.com.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Souza de Bairros
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: ikawachi@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kawachi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D066270:Social Capital; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adults; Cohort; Mortality; Multilevel; Social capital; Social cohesion