Does social capital enhance self-rated health of married women? Findings from a population-based study

Abstract Background: Social capital is one of the main concepts that has received attention in the health literature. This study aimed to investigate the association between social capital and self-rated health in married women in four western provinces of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using a multi-stage sampling method in four main western provinces of Iran. In total, 1531 married women participated in our study. The questionnaire included demographic variables, women's self-rated health, and social capital. Results: The mean (SD) self-rated health was 3.83 (0.77). Pearson correlation test showed that among the social capital subscales, trust had the most (r = 0.116, p<0.001) and networks the least significant correlations (r = 0.095, p<0.001) with self-rated health among the participants. Social capital shows a weak association with self-rated health (Coefficient=0.0030, p=0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that there was a positive correlation between social capital dimensions with the self-rated health among women, however it was relatively weak association. This may be due to the complex nature of health and its related factors such as social capital.