Effects of social capital on the health quality of the rural elderly in Xihaigu, China: a hierarchical linear model analysis

ABSTRACT

Based on the analysis and measurement of the social capital and the health quality and structure of the elderly people, this paper examined the effects of social capital on the health quality of the elderly as well as its composition. The examination was conducted by applying a hierarchical linear model (HLM) and using survey data obtained in the Xihaigu area of Ningxia Province in 2017. The empirical results showed that individual social capital had a significant influence on the health of the rural elderly, but the impacts were different on its composition. Village social capital should improve both the physical and mental health quality of the elderly through building mutual trust and promoting stability, unity and a harmonious living environment. In addition, factors such as mode of habitation, diet, medical approaches, intergenerational interactions, and village geographical location also affect the health quality of the elderly.

KEYWORDS:

• The elderly
• health quality
• individual social capital
• village social capital

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Considering the harsh natural conditions, low life expectancy, single diet structure, and backward health care in Xihaigu, the health quality of farmers in this area was obviously low, so the starting point of the elderly was 55 years.

2. Zhao 2012.

3. SRHMS means Self-rated Health Measurement Scale.

4. Variable is measured as the average value of the other sampled households within the same village.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China entitled “An Empirical Study on Cooperative Supply of Small-scale Irrigation Facilities in Rural Communities from the Perspective of Household Income and Social Capital Heterogeneity–A Case Study of Shaanxi Province” [Grant number 71173174].