Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2011

Open Access 01-12-2011 | Research article

Assessing the association between all-cause mortality and multiple aspects of individual social capital among the older Japanese

Authors: Jun Aida, Katsunori Kondo, Hiroshi Hirai, S V Subramanian, Chiyoe Murata, Naoki Kondo, Yukinobu Ichida, Kokoro Shirai, Ken Osaka

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2011

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Few prospective cohort studies have assessed the association between social capital and mortality. The studies were conducted only in Western countries and did not use the same social capital indicators. The present prospective cohort study aimed to examine the relationships between various forms of individual social capital and all-cause mortality in Japan.

Methods

Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to subjects in the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study (AGES) Project in 2003. Mortality data from 2003 to 2008 were analyzed for 14,668 respondents. Both cognitive and structural components of individual social capital were collected: 8 for cognitive social capital (trust, 3; social support, 3; reciprocity, 2) and 9 for structural social capital (social network). Cox proportional hazard models stratified by sex with multiple imputation were used. Age, body mass index, self-rated health, current illness, smoking history, alcohol consumption, exercise, equivalent income and education were used as covariates.

Results

During 27,571 person-years of follow-up for men and 29,561 person-years of follow-up for women, 790 deaths in men and 424 in women were observed. In the univariate analyses for men, lower social capital was significantly related to higher mortality in one general trust variable, all generalised reciprocity variables and four social network variables. For women, lower social capital was significantly related to higher mortality in all generalised reciprocity and four social network variables. After adjusting for covariates, lower friendship network was significantly associated with higher all-cause mortality among men (meet friends rarely; HR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.10-1.53) and women (having no friends; HR = 1.81, 95%CI = 1.02-3.23). Among women, lower general trust was significantly related to lower mortality (most people cannot be trusted; HR = 0.65, 95%CI = 0.45-0.96).

Conclusions

Friendship network was a good predictor for all-cause mortality among older Japanese. In contrast, mistrust was associated with lower mortality among women. Studies with social capital indices considering different culture backgrounds are needed.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Islam MK, Gerdtham UG, Gullberg B, Lindstrom M, Merlo J: Social capital externalities and mortality in Sweden. Econ Hum Biol. 2008, 6 (1): 19-42. 10.1016/j.ehb.2007.09.004.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Hyyppa MT, Maki J, Impivaara O, Aromaa A: Individual-level measures of social capital as predictors of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a population-based prospective study of men and women in Finland. Eur J Epidemiol. 2007, 22 (9): 589-597. 10.1007/s10654-007-9153-y.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Blakely T, Atkinson J, Ivory V, Collings S, Wilton J, Howden-Chapman P: No association of neighbourhood volunteerism with mortality in New Zealand: a national multilevel cohort study. Int J Epidemiol. 2006, 35 (4): 981-989. 10.1093/ije/dyl088.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Wen M, Cagney KA, Christakis NA: Effect of specific aspects of community social environment on the mortality of individuals diagnosed with serious illness. Soc Sci Med. 2005, 61 (6): 1119-1134. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.01.026.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Mohan J, Twigg L, Barnard S, Jones K: Social capital, geography and health: a small-area analysis for England. Soc Sci Med. 2005, 60 (6): 1267-1283. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.06.050.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Kawachi I: Commentary: social capital and health: making the connections one step at a time. Int J Epidemiol. 2006, 35 (4): 989-993. 10.1093/ije/dyl117.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Paldam M: Social capital: one or many? Definition and measurement. Journal of Economic Surveys. 2000, 14 (5): 629-653. 10.1111/1467-6419.00127.CrossRef
8.
9.
Kawachi I: Foreword. Health Inequalities in Japan: An Empirical Study of Older People. Edited by: Kondo K. 2010, Melbourne
10.
Islam MK, Merlo J, Kawachi I, Lindstrom M, Gerdtham UG: Social capital and health: does egalitarianism matter? A literature review. Int J Equity Health. 2006, 5: 3-10.1186/1475-9276-5-3.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
11.
Yamagishi T, Cook KS, Watabe M: Uncertainty, trust, and commitment formation in the United States and Japan. Am J Sociol. 1998, 104 (1): 165-194. 10.1086/210005.CrossRef
12.
Fukuyama F: Low-trust societies and the paradox of family values. Trust: Social virtue and the creation of property. 1995, New York: Free press, 59-145.
13.
Yamagishi T, Yamagishi M: Trust and Commitment in the United-States and Japan. Motiv Emotion. 1994, 18 (2): 129-166. 10.1007/BF02249397.CrossRef
14.
Kawachi I, Subramanian SV, Kim D: Social Capital and Health: A Decade of Progress and Beyond. Social Capital and Health. Edited by: Kawachi I, Subramanian SV, Kim D. 2008, New York: Springer, 1-26.CrossRef
15.
Carpiano RM: Toward a neighborhood resource-based theory of social capital for health: can Bourdieu and sociology help?. Soc Sci Med. 2006, 62 (1): 165-175. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.05.020.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Bourdieu P: The forms of capital. The handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education. Edited by: Richardson J. 1986, New York: Greenwood Press, 241-258.
17.
Harpham T: The Measurement of Community Social Capital Through Surveys. Social Capital and Health. Edited by: Kawachi I, Subramanian SV, Kim D. 2008, New York: Springer, 51-62.CrossRef
18.
Roux AVD: The study of group-level factors in epidemiology: Rethinking variables, study designs, and analytical approaches. Epidemiologic Reviews. 2004, 26: 104-111. 10.1093/epirev/mxh006.CrossRef
19.
Van der Gaag M, Webber M: Measurement of individual social capital: questions, instruments and measures. Social Capital and Health. Edited by: Kawachi I, Subramanian SV, Kim D. 2008, New York: Springer, 29-49.CrossRef
20.
Kondo N, Kawachi I, Hirai H, Kondo K, Subramanian SV, Hanibuchi T, Yamagata Z: Relative deprivation and incident functional disability among older Japanese women and men: prospective cohort study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2009, 63 (6): 461-467. 10.1136/jech.2008.078642.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
21.
Aida J, Hanibuchi T, Nakade M, Hirai H, Osaka K, Kondo K: The different effects of vertical social capital and horizontal social capital on dental status: a multilevel analysis. Soc Sci Med. 2009, 69 (4): 512-518. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.06.003.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Murata C, Kondo K, Hirai H, Ichida Y, Ojima T: Association between depression and socio-economic status among community-dwelling elderly in Japan: the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study (AGES). Health Place. 2008, 14 (3): 406-414. 10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.08.007.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Kondo K: Health Inequalities in Japan: An Empirical Study of the Older People. 2010, Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press
24.
Nishi A, Kondo K, Hirai H, Kawachi I: Cohort Profile: The AGES 2003 Cohort Study in Aichi, Japan. J Epidemiol. 2011, 21 (2): 151-157. 10.2188/jea.JE20100135.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
25.
Harpham T, Grant E, Thomas E: Measuring social capital within health surveys: key issues. Health Policy Plan. 2002, 17 (1): 106-111. 10.1093/heapol/17.1.106.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Nur U, Shack LG, Rachet B, Carpenter JR, Coleman MP: Modelling relative survival in the presence of incomplete data: a tutorial. Int J Epidemiol. 2010, 39 (1): 118-128. 10.1093/ije/dyp309.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Rubin D: Multiple imputation for non-response in surveys. 1987, New York: John WileyCrossRef
28.
Uslaner EM: The Moral Foundation of Trust. 2002, Cambridge: Cambridge University PressCrossRef
29.
Lin N: Social Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action. 2001, Cambridge Cambridge University PressCrossRef
30.
Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB: Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Med. 2010, 7 (7): e1000316-10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
31.
Newton K: Social capital and democracy. American Behavioral Scientist. 1997, 40: 575-586. 10.1177/0002764297040005004.CrossRef
32.
Kawachi I, Berkman L: Social cohesion, social capital, and health. Social epidemiology. Edited by: Berkman L, Kawachi I. 2000, New York: Oxford University Press, 174-190.
33.
Phongsavan P, Chey T, Bauman A, Brooks R, Silove D: Social capital, socio-economic status and psychological distress among Australian adults. Soc Sci Med. 2006, 63 (10): 2546-2561. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.06.021.CrossRefPubMed
34.
35.
Hanibuchi T, Hirai H, Kondo K, Maeda S, Aida J, Ichida Y: A study of social capital indices in area level (in Japanese). Journal of Health and Welfare Statistics. 2009, 56 (1): 26-32.
Metadata
Title
Assessing the association between all-cause mortality and multiple aspects of individual social capital among the older Japanese
Authors
Jun Aida
Katsunori Kondo
Hiroshi Hirai
S V Subramanian
Chiyoe Murata
Naoki Kondo
Yukinobu Ichida
Kokoro Shirai
Ken Osaka
Publication date
01-12-2011
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2011
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-499

Other articles of this Issue 1/2011

BMC Public Health 1/2011 Go to the issue

Research article

Military veteran mortality following a survived suicide attempt

Research article

Effects of lifestyle intervention in persons at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus - results from a randomised, controlled trial

Research article

Malnutrition among children under the age of five in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): does geographic location matter?

Research article

Behavioural interventions for weight management in pregnancy: A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative data

Research article

HIV/AIDS among youth in urban informal (slum) settlements in Kenya: What are the correlates of and motivations for HIV testing?

Research article

Family social environment in childhood and self-rated health in young adulthood