Social Capital and Health

ISBN-13: 9780387713106 / Angielski / Twarda / 2007 / 304 str.

Ichiro Kawachi; Daniel Kim; S. V. Subramanian

Opis

Social Capital and Health discusses social capital a concept that originated in the social sciences and its application to the field of public health. The editors take care to define the concept of social capital, describe its theoretical origins, and discuss the controversies and debates surrounding the use of the concept in public health research and practice. The book provides a comprehensive "tool kit" of current approaches to measure social capital. Further, the book surveys the empirical evidence linking social capital to physical and mental health outcomes, health-related behaviors (like smoking), and aging-related outcomes. "

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"This edited book is designed to provide an up-to-date description of scholarly thinking about the concept of social capital and its relationships to health outcomes. ... Public health students and researchers interested in social and behavioral predicates of health are the intended audience. ... The chapter authors are published and knowledgeable in their respective areas. This book will provide students and academic researchers with a very good, up-to-date accounting of the state-of-the-field in thinking about and studying social capital and its relationship to health." (Anne B. Wallis, Doody's Review Service, January 2008)

"The book consists of an introduction plus two large sections, the first on the measurement of social capital and the second on the evidence linking social capital to health. ... This book will be a useful reference for anyone interested in understanding and studying the many and complex ways in which social relationships may affect health." (Ana V. Diez Roux, American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 168, 2008)

Spis treści

Chapter 1. Social capital and health: A decade of progress and beyond Ichiro Kawachi, S.V. Subramanian and Daniel Kim PART I MEASUREMENT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL Chapter 2. Measurement of individual social capital: questions, instruments, and measures Martin van der Gaag and Martin Webber Chapter 3. The measurement of community social capital through surveys Trudy Harpham Chapter 4. Network-based approaches for measuring social capital Cynthia M. Lakon, Dionne C. Godette and John R. Hipp Chapter 5. Actual or potential neighborhood resources for health: What can Bourdieu offer for understanding mechanisms linking social capital to health? Richard M. Carpiano Chapter 6. Social capital and public health: Qualitative and ethnographic approaches Rob Whitley Chapter 7. The economic approach to cooperation and trust: Lessons for the study of social capital and health Lisa R. Anderson and Jennifer M. Mellor PART II EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE Chapter 8. Social capital and physical health: A systematic review of the literature Daniel Kim, S.V. Subramanian and Ichiro Kawachi Chapter 9. Social capital and mental health: An updated interdisciplinary review of primary evidence Astier M. Almedom and Douglas Glandon Chapter 10. Social capital and health-related behaviors Martin Lindström Chapter 11. Social capital and aging-related outcomes Kathleen Cagney and Ming Wen Chapter 12. Social capital and health communications K. (Vish) Viswanath Chapter 13. Disaster preparedness and social capital Howard K. Koh and Rebecca O. Cadigan

O autorze

Ichiro Kawachi is a Professor of Social Epidemiology in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is also Director of the Harvard Center for Society and Health.  He has authored several books with Oxford University Press and New Press on society and health.

S.V. Subramanian is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health.  He has a PhD in geography with specialization in multilevel statistical methods, and he also has a master's degree in the field of development studies.

Daniel Kim is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed residency training in community medicine at the University of Toronto. He also has a doctor of public health degree in social epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.

 

Blurb

As interest in social capital has grown over the past decade—particularly in public health —so has the lack of consensus on exactly what it is and what makes it worth studying. Social Capital and Health presents the state of the debate, from definition to conceptualization, from effective measurement to real-world applications. The 21 contributors (headed by Ichiro Kawachi, a widely respected leader in the field, and including physicians, economists, and public health experts) discuss the potentials and pitfalls in current research, and salient examples of social capital concepts informing public health practice.

The book’s first section traces the theoretical origins of social capital, and the strengths and limitations of current methodologies of measuring it. The second half surveys the empirical data on social capital in key health areas. Among the highlights:

• Toward a definition: Individual or group entity? Negative as well as positive effects?
• Measurement methods: survey, sociometric, ethnographic, experimental
• The relationship between social capital and physical health and health behaviors: smoking, substance abuse, physical activity, sexual activity
• Social capital and mental health: early findings
• Social capital and the aging community
• Applying social capital to health communications
• Social capital and disaster preparedness

Social Capital and Health is certain to inspire researchers and advanced students in public health, health behavior, and social epidemiology. The collective insight found in these diverse perspectives should inspire a new generation of research on this topic, and lead to the development of interventions to improve public health.