Social Capital and Subjective Health Perception among Older Community Residents in Japan

Poor subjective health perception is a well-known risk factor for morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social capital (SC) and health confidence among older individuals in a community setting.

The study included 884 individuals aged 60-79 years residing in a city in the Hokuriku region (460 men and 424 women; mean age: 70.32 ± 4.03 years). The analysis considered the following variables: residential area, sex, age, presence or absence of cohabitants, SC (general trust in the community, reciprocity among community members, attachment to the region, and engagement in hobbies and other community activities), health counseling-related resources, and lack of health confidence. The multivariate logistic regression analysis used lack of health confidence as the dependent variable. Multiple models were constructed.

Of the 884 participants who provided data for the analyses, 176 (19.9%) reported a lack of confidence in their health. Women and individuals aged 70-79 years had significantly higher odds ratios (ORs) for reporting lack of health confidence (OR: 1.78 and 1.60, respectively). In men, the odds for reporting lack of health confidence were significantly higher among those who reported having no access to health or care counseling resources (OR 3.58, 95% confidence interval 1.47-8.72) and those who did not participate in sports-related group or club activities (OR 2.11, 95% confidence interval 1.15-3.86). In contrast, no significant associations were observed between SC factors and lack of health confidence among women.

The findings suggest that, particularly among men, access to health counseling resources and participation in community activities contribute to greater confidence in own health.