title: Identifying associated factors with social capital using path analysis: A population-based survey in Tehran, Iran (Urban HEART-2).
abstract: Background:Social capital has been defined as norms, networks, and social links that facilitate collective actions. Social capital is related to a number of main social and public health variables. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the factors associated with social capital among the residents of Tehran, Iran.Methods:In this large cross-sectional population-based study, 31531 residents aged 20 years and above were selected through multi-stage sampling method from 22 districts of Tehran in 2011. The social capital questionnaire, 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), and Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) were used. Hypothetical causal models were designed to identify the pathways through which different variables influenced the components of social capital. Then, path analysis was conducted for identifying the determinants of social capital.Results:The most influential variables in 'individual trust' were job status (β=0.37, p=0.02), marital status (β=0.32, p=0.01), Physical Component Summary (PCS) (β=0.37, p=0.02), and age (β=0.34, p=0.03). On the other hand, education level (β=0.34, p=0.01), age (β=0.33, p=0.02), marital status (β=0.33, p=0.01), and job status (β=0.32, p=0.01) were effective in 'cohesion and social support'. Additionally, age (β=0.18, p=0.02), PCS (β=0.36, p=0.01), house ownership (β=0.23, p=0.03), and mental health (β=0.26, p=0.01) were influential in 'social trust/collective relations'.Conclusion:Social capital can be improved in communities by planning to improve education and occupation status, paying more attention to strengthening family bonds, and provision of local facilities and neighborhood bonds to reduce migration within the city.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. mohsen.asadi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asadi-Lari
authors.affiliation: Professor of Epidemiology, Research Center for Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. jhasanzad@sums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Jafar
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hassanzadeh
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran. torabinia.m@dums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mansour
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torabinia
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Physiology, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. vaezmahdavi@shahed.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Vaez-Mahdavi
authors.affiliation: Professor, Mental Health Research Group, Health Metrics Research Center, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran. montazeri@acecr.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montazeri
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Research Center for Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. halehghaem@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Haleh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ghaem
authors.affiliation: PhD Student of Sociology, Prevention of Psychosocial Injuries Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran. rostammenati@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Rostam
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Menati
authors.affiliation: Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran. niazim@kashanu.ac.ir .
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Niazi
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran. kassani.a@dums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kassani
keywords: Individual trust; Path analysis; Social capital; Social support; Social trust