Social‐capital determinants of the women with diabetes: a population‐based study

Social-capital level contributes to clinical factors and health outcomes of patients suffering from diabetes. Considering the social determinants of type 2 diabetes patients could benefit to prevention of diabetes complications especially in women population. This study aims to determine social capital determinants in women with diabetes.

Four hundred and thirty-five women with diabetes take-part in this cross-sectional, multi-centric study. The data was completed by a demographic questionnaire and the Social Capital instrument (SC-IQ). This study is investigating demographic (age, gender, BMI, marital, educational and social-economic status), and lifestyle factors (physical activity, nutrition), Diabetes status (HbA1c Level, medications, complications, duration of diabetes), general health status (life satisfaction, self-rated health, physical activity, and depression) and Social capital items (Value of life, Tolerance of Diversity, Neighborhood network, Family and Friends Connections, Work connections, Community participation, Feeling of trust and Safety and Proactivity). The descriptive statistics and linear regression models were used to assess the associations between social capital and determinants.

The mean age of participants was 50 (SD: 7.7), range 28–71 year. The mean social capital score was 77.8 (SD: 15.8). In linear regression analysis, results showed that women who had the greater score in total social-capital (ß: 3.7, SE: 1.5) and Feeling of trust and Safety (ß: 0.87, SE: 0.42) had vigorous physical activity and also women who had greater score in Neighborhood Connections had moderate physical activity in comparison with patients who had low physical activity. (ß: 0.67, SE: 0.26 and ß: 0.61, SE: 0.26).Also, the findings showed that women who had had a lower score in total social-capital (ß: 6, SE: 1.47), Community participation (ß: 1.44, SE: 0.37), Value of life (ß: 1.71, SE: 0.24), Family and Friends Connections (ß: 0.88, SE: 0.25) and proactivity (ß: 0.71, SE: 0.25) had depression in comparison with patients who had no depression. The findings revealed that instead of each year increase in the duration of diabetes, the total social-capital score had decreased about the half score (ß: 0.48, SE: 0.21).

Important social factors that make diabetes control are alterable to health interventions. The results of the current study suggest that social capital status may determine how effectively the women with diabetes have been managed. This initial finding permits subsequent experimental investigations to identify social strategies that can be valuable to improve diabetes control.