Lipids & metabolic liver disease
Community Social Capital and Population Health Outcomes
Authors' conclusion
In this study, higher economic connectedness was significantly associated with better population health outcomes; however, higher community support ratios and volunteering rates were both significantly associated with worse population health. Associations also differed by majority racial and ethnic composition of communities.
Study context
- Population
- Communities defined at the zip code tabulation area (ZCTA) level in all 50 US states; data 2021–2022
- Participants
- 17,800 ZCTAs
- Outcome
- Association between population health outcomes and social capital (multivariable regression)
Methodological detailsmultivariable regression, adjusted for area demographic variables and county fixed effects
- Multivariable regression
- Adjusted for area demographic variables and county fixed effects
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Association of social capital measures with population health outcomes (per 1% increase)
- Economic connectedness: diabetes prevalence
- −0.63% (95% CI, −0.67% to −0.60%)
- Economic connectedness: hypertension prevalence
- −0.31% (95% CI, −0.33% to −0.29%)
- Economic connectedness: high cholesterol prevalence
- −0.14% (95% CI, −0.15% to −0.12%)
- Economic connectedness: kidney disease prevalence
- −0.48% (95% CI, −0.50% to −0.46%)
- Economic connectedness: obesity prevalence
- −0.28% (95% CI, −0.29% to −0.27%)
- Support ratio: diabetes prevalence
- 0.21% (95% CI, 0.16% to 0.26%)
- Support ratio: high blood pressure prevalence
- 0.16% (95% CI, 0.13% to 0.19%)
- Support ratio: high cholesterol prevalence
- 0.16% (95% CI, 0.13% to 0.19%)
- Support ratio: kidney disease prevalence
- 0.17% (95% CI, 0.13% to 0.20%)
- Support ratio: obesity prevalence
- 0.08% (95% CI, 0.06% to 0.10%)
- Volunteering rate: high blood pressure prevalence
- 0.02% (95% CI, 0.01% to 0.02%)
- Volunteering rate: high cholesterol prevalence
- 0.03% (95% CI, 0.02% to 0.03%)
- Volunteering rate: kidney disease prevalence
- 0.02% (95% CI, 0.01% to 0.02%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Social capital measures and disease prevalence across ZCTAs
- Economic connectedness, mean (SD 0.32)
- 0.88
- Support ratio, mean (SD 0.10)
- 0.90
- Volunteering rate, mean (SD 0.03)
- 0.08
- Diabetes prevalence, mean (SD 2.9)
- 10.8%
- High blood pressure prevalence, mean (SD 6.2)
- 33.2%
- High cholesterol prevalence, mean (SD 4.2)
- 32.7%
- Kidney disease prevalence, mean (SD 0.7)
- 3.0%
- Obesity prevalence, mean (SD 5.6)
- 33.4%
Heterogeneity by majority racial and ethnic composition
- Strength of associations varied by majority racial and ethnic population composition of communities
Original publication
Community Social Capital and Population Health Outcomes. JAMA Netw Open. Published 1 August 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →