The study of relationship between social capital and self-rated health in Bandar Abbas, Iran

Background: health is a key component of an individual's welfare and the standard of living. social capital has attained a considerable attention in science and policy making since researchers have suggested that it may have a positive impact on the well-being of individuals and the society. the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between social capital and self-rated health.methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals aged from 18 and older, who lived in bandar abbas city in 2017. the data used in this study obtained from a questionnaire with multi-stage random sample of respondents. the data were coded, computed, and analyzed by using spss software 16 (spss inc., chicago, il, usa).results: a total of 255 respondents participated in the present study. approximately 126 (49.4%) were male. the results obtained on age also report that the average age of respondents were equal to 30.08. additionally, 126 (49.4%) of the respondents were married. the result of the correlation between self-rated health and socio-economic variables, such as income, education, and age confirmed that there was a statistically significant positive correlation between self-rated health and income (p<0.001) and age (p=0.043). the statistical analysis of t-test showed that the respondents who were married (p=0.01) and male (p=0.01) showed to be healthier compared to the single and female participants.the results also showed that social trust and social participation were positively associated with desirable self- rated health. moreover, higher levels of trust and social participation were both associated consistently with high levels of self-rated health. social trust was also associated positively with desirable self-rated health, after adjusting for the individuals’ demographic factors and socioeconomic status (p=0.001).conclusion: income and social trust have the most significant influence on self-rated health. social trust as an indicator of social capital had a significant impact on the self-rated health of respondents. social trust increases social health and reduces stress and anxiety in individuals.