TITLE:
Influence of Social Capital on the Health of Individuals
AUTHORS:
Afomachukwu Evan Okafor, Jacinthe Ibrahim Rihan
KEYWORDS:
Social Epidemiology, Social Capital, Health, Social Factors
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.4,
April
14,
2023
ABSTRACT: Social
capital consists of characteristics of the relations and the interaction that
happens between individuals and groups. It is perceived as an individual level
where personal resources can emerge in various social networks where
individuals have good access to support and services involved. On several
occasions, social capital has been perceived as a factor that can affect health
through numerous mechanisms. These are well-known norms and attitudes that
influence health psychological networks and increases access to quality health
systems thus enhancing self-esteem. The objective of this paper, therefore, was
to assess the influence social capital has on the health of individuals. The study adopted a descriptive survey research
design and targeted 840 respondents
from 7 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Data was collected through structured questionnaires and interview guides, which were pilot-tested before
use and utilized the Cronbach alpha test on SPSS to measure both reliability of
the research tool and the internal consistency. The data were analysed using
descriptive statistics which includes correlation analysis aided by Statistical
Package for Social Science for quantitative while the qualitative data was
analyzed using narrative and thematic methods. Results showed that social
capital indeed has an influence on the health of individuals. 54% of the
respondents reported having fallen below their economic status at some point in
their life and further provided insights on the importance of friends and
family at this point in their life. 98% of them confirmed receiving aid and
support (both moral and financial) from their family and social networks and
this eased a lot of stress and further supported them in their search for new
channels of earning their livelihoods. Also, 69.1% of the respondents reported
belonging to a particular social network, among them, 95% confirmed that in
multiple occasions, the social network influenced their health-seeking
behaviors, diet, and general hygiene, eating and sleeping habits, etc. while
noting that the network provides support (both financial, moral, care, etc.) to
its members and thereby reducing the effects of stress on the people who are
part of the social networks as well as the likelihood of becoming sick. The
respondents gave social capital an average rating of 3.7 out of 5 showing a 74%
effect on the health of individuals. The correlation analysis between social
capital and health of individuals demonstrated a degree of positive
correlation, with an estimated average of 0.736. In conclusion, the study
showed that social networks are the bedrock of social support, and this is
helpful and most impactful on the health status of individuals. Social capital
is therefore a potentially crucial characteristic of the social and cultural environment
that ultimately influences the patterns of health outcomes.