Associations of social capital and health at a city with high aging rate and low population density

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has shown a continuously increasing trend with a large variation in the number of COVID-19 deaths across countries. In response, many countries have implemented non pharmaceutical methods of intervention, such as social distancing and lockdowns. This study aims to investigate the relationship of four dimensions of social capital (community attachment, social trust, family bond, and security) and several control variables with COVID-19 deaths. Methods We retrieved data from open access databases and a survey. COVID-19 death-related data were collected from the website “Centre for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University”. Social capital-related data were collected from a large-scale survey that included web-based and face-to-face surveys covering 100,956 respondents across all regions/provinces/states of 37 countries in 2017. Data regarding population density, number of hospital beds, and population aged 65 or older were retrieved from the World Development Indicators (WDIs). Data on country lockdowns were obtained from the website “National responses to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic”. Linear regressions were applied to identify the relationship between social capital and COVID-19 deaths. Results We found that COVID-19 deaths were associated with social capital both positively and negatively. Community attachment and social trust were associated with more COVID-19 deaths, and family bond and security were associated with fewer deaths. COVID-19 deaths were positively associated with population density, ageing population, and interactions between four dimensions of social capital-related factors and the ageing population. Furthermore, the number of hospital beds and early lockdown policy were negatively associated with COVID-19 deaths. Conclusions The results indicate that the role of social capital in dynamically evolving threats, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, is not always negative or positive. Therefore, people’s behaviour should be changed to support countries’ response to the COVID-19 threat.

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THE CONSTRUCTION OF URBAN PUBLIC SPORTS SERVICE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte ◽

10.1590/1517-8692202127012020_0104 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (spe) ◽

pp. 69-72

Author(s):

Xiaolong Zhang

Keyword(s):

Population Density ◽

Reference Value ◽

Theil Index ◽

Index Method ◽

Per Capita Gdp ◽

Aging Rate ◽

Sports Clubs ◽

Service Efficiency ◽

Per Capita ◽

The Difference

ABSTRACT With the deepening of urban public sports service construction in China, the construction of public sports service system has become an important guarantee for mass sports rights in China. In view of this, this study takes City XX as an example, and analyzes the difference of public sports service construction in this city using the Theil index method, and determines the measurement index. It analyzes the equality degree of service resource allocation among and within the four regions of City XX, including A, B, C, D, and so on. The influencing factors of sports service efficiency are analyzed. The results show that there are significant differences in the allocation of public sports service resources among districts and counties of City XX. From the overall difference, the total Theil index of national fitness and sports clubs showed an upward trend, while others showed a downward trend. From the perspective of regional differences, there were 6 indicators with the highest equalization level in area C and 5 indicators in area A. The lowest level was found. Population density, per capita GDP, aging rate and urbanization rate of city XX have obvious positive correlations with public sports service efficiency. The aging rate is the most positive factor, while per capita GDP and population density have little influence. This study can provide some reference value for other cities in China in the construction of public sports services.

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Differences in depressive symptoms by rurality in Japan: a cross-sectional multilevel study using different aggregation units of municipalities and neighborhoods (JAGES)

International Journal of Health Geographics ◽

10.1186/s12942-021-00296-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mariko Kanamori ◽

Masamichi Hanazato ◽

Daisuke Takagi ◽

Katsunori Kondo ◽

Toshiyuki Ojima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Population Density ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Civic Participation ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Rural Municipalities ◽

Neighborhood Level ◽

Geographical Units

Abstract Background Rurality can reflect many aspects of the community, including community characteristics that may be associated with mental health. In this study, we focused on geographical units to address multiple layers of a rural environment. By evaluating rurality at both the municipality and neighborhood (i.e., a smaller unit within a municipality) levels in Japan, we aimed to elucidate the relationship between depression and rurality. To explore the mechanisms linking rurality and depression, we examined how the association between rurality and depression can be explained by community social capital according to geographical units. Methods We used cross-sectional data from the 2016 wave of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study involving 144,822 respondents aged 65 years or older residing in 937 neighborhoods across 39 municipalities. The population density quintile for municipality-level rurality and the quintile for the time required to reach densely inhabited districts for neighborhood-level rurality were used. We calculated the prevalence ratios of depressive symptoms by gender using a three-level (individual, neighborhood, and municipality) Poisson regression. Community social capital was assessed using three components: civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity. Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms was higher in municipalities with lower population density than those with the highest population density; the ratios were 1.22 (95% confidence intervals: 1.15, 1.30) for men and 1.22 (1.13, 1.31) for women. In contrast, when evaluating rurality at the neighborhood level, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 0.9 times lower for men in rural areas; no such association was observed for women. In rural municipalities, community civic participation was associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms. In rural neighborhoods, community social cohesion and reciprocity were linked to a lower risk of depressive symptoms. Conclusions The association between rurality and depression varied according to geographical unit. In rural municipalities, the risk of depression may be higher for both men and women, and the presence of an environment conducive to civic participation may contribute to a higher risk of depression, as observed in this study. The risk of depression in men may be lower in rural neighborhoods in Japan, which may be related to high social cohesion and reciprocity.

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The Role of Social Capital on Covid-19 Deaths

10.21203/rs.3.rs-118063/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Janaki Imbulana Arachchi ◽

Shunsuke Managi

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Population Density ◽

Social Trust ◽

Aging Population ◽

Community Attachment ◽

Four Dimensions ◽

Related Data ◽

Hospital Beds ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Background: Covid-19 pandemic shows a continuously increasing trend with a huge variation in the number of Covid-19 deaths across countries. In response, many countries have implemented non-pharmaceutical methods of intervention such as social distancing and lockdowns. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the four dimensions of social capital (community attachment, social trust, family bond, and security) with several control variables of Covid-19 deaths. Methods: We retrieved data from open access databases and our survey data. Covid-19 deaths related data were collected from the website “Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University”. Social capital related data was collected from a large-scale survey of 100,956 respondents across 37 countries that including web-based and face-to-face surveys covering all regions/provinces/states of 37 countries in 2017. Data regarding population density, hospital beds numbers, and population age 65 or older, was retrieved from the World Development Indicators (WDI). Data on country lockdown was obtained from the website “National responses to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic”. Linear regressions were applied to identify the relationship between social capital and Covid-19 deaths. Results: We found that Covid-19 deaths are associated with social capital both positively and negatively. Community attachment and social trust were associated with more Covid-19 deaths and family bond and security were associated with less deaths. Covid-19 deaths were positively associated with population density, aging population, and interactions between four dimensions of social capital related factors and aging population. Furthermore, number of hospital beds and early lockdown policy were negatively associated with Covid-19 deaths. Conclusions: The results indicate that the role of social capital on dynamically evolving threats such as the current Covid-19 pandemic does not always negatively or positively. Therefore, countries require changes of behavior of people to response Covid-19 threat.

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The Built Environment and Social Capital: A Systematic Review

Environment and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0013916516687343 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 119-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Soumya Mazumdar ◽

Vincent Learnihan ◽

Thomas Cochrane ◽

Rachel Davey

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Social Capital ◽

Population Density ◽

Built Environment ◽

Urban Design ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Significant Relationship ◽

Environmental Psychology ◽

Research Synthesis ◽

Health Geography

A growing literature has indicated a relationship between social capital and certain aspects of the built environment with contributions from various disciplines, including environmental psychology, urban design, and health geography. In this systematic review and research synthesis, we summarize the literature in this domain using existing sociological and design frameworks to ascertain the effect of specific built environment domains on social capital. Our review shows that there is a significant relationship between social capital and the built environment, specifically between social cohesion and access to destinations/walkability. Positive relationships exist between social capital, design, and diversity, whereas the effect of population density on social capital is negative and unclear. We find significant methodological limitations and gaps in the published literature, including the absence of longitudinal studies and the use of a plethora of social capital and built environment measures.

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Social Capital Mediates the Relationship between Social Distancing and COVID-19 Prevalence in Japan

INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization Provision and Financing ◽

10.1177/00469580211005189 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 58 ◽

pp. 004695802110051

Author(s):

Keisuke Kokubun ◽

Yoshinori Yamakawa

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Population Density ◽

Infection Rate ◽

Statistical Data ◽

Infection Rates ◽

Population Densities ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Value Sharing ◽

Increasing Trend ◽

The Relationship

The threat of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is increasing. Regarding the differences in the infection rate observed in each region, additionally to studies investigating the causes of differences in population density as a proxy for social distancing, an increasing trend of studies investigating the causes of differences in social capital has also been seen (ie, value sharing, acceptance of norms, unity, and trust through reciprocity). However, studies investigating whether social capital that controls the effects of population density also influences the infection rate are limited. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the relationship between infection rate, population density, and social capital using statistical data of Japan’s every prefecture. Statistical analysis showed that social capital not only negatively correlates with infection rates and population densities, but also negatively correlates with infection rates controlling for the effects of population density. Additionally, controlling the relationship between the variables by mean age showed that social capital had a greater correlation with infection rate than population density. In other words, social capital mediates the relationship between population density and infection rates, indicating that social distancing alone is not enough to deter coronavirus disease; social capital needs to be recharged.

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