Social capital and risk and protective behaviors: a global health perspective

Figures & data

Table 1 Overview of micro-level, meso-level, and macro-level components of social capital in relation to engagement in risk and protective behaviors

	Risk	Protective
Micro-level	Bonding social capital in alternative (deviant) groups Bonding social capital in mainstream groups with strong social norms for risk behavior (eg, alcohol consumption)	Bonding social capital in mainstream groups with strong social norms against risk behavior, or for engagement in protective behaviors Bridging and linking social capital between groups with resources (eg, access to health care, social services, education)
Meso-level	Insular communities – strong bonding social capital, but little bridging/linking social capital	Communities with greater bridging/linking social capital to resources Stable residency patterns and historical connections (work, socialization)
Macro-level	Non-egalitarian societies including transitional countries with increasingly disparity between income groups Nations/societies with historically-based ethnic/tribal conflicts and marginalization and discrimination Nations/societies with high levels of corruption and low levels of political–economic transparency	Egalitarian societies with accessibility across socioeconomic groups to health, social, and economic opportunities