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.

Auteur

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.

Contenu

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