Study on the Role of Social Capital in Student?s Health at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences: The Role of Demographic Variables

摘要

The concept of social capital is associated with almost all human, social and health issues due to its nature and content. Social capital represents the characteristics of social life, networks, norms and trust that enable participants to work together towards common goals, and it is recognised as an important determinant of health.Aim: The present study aimed to study the role of social capital in students? health at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences and the role of demographic variables in 2017.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive and analytical study, the statistical population consisted of 450 students at the Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceuticals Schools at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2017. The sample size was determined through the Cochran's sample size formula, and 450 students were selected through simple random sampling. Further, for data collection, a demographic questionnaire and the Onyx and Bullen?s social capital scale were employed. Then, data were analysed through the descriptive (percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (ANOVA and t-test) in the SPSS Statistics Software Version 23.0.Results: In the present study, the mean score and standard deviation of students? social capital measured 2.81±0.45. In addition, it was shown that the dimensions of the communication with family members and friends and feeling security and trust had the highest and lowest means, respectively. Also, the results demonstrated that there was a significant relationship between the students? social capital and each of gender, age, marital status, education, faculty, and residence (p <0.05).Conclusion: The results revealed that the students? social capital correlated with each of gender, age, marital status, education, faculty, and residence. Therefore, promotion of the social capital of university students requires holding workshops and training courses by planners.