Читать книгу Contemporary Health Studies - Louise Warwick-Booth - Страница 25

This chapter explores how social and community networks act as determinants of health. Two major concepts, social support and social capital, are defined and debated and evidence presented of their relationship to health status. The proposed mechanisms of how social support and social capital influence health are explained. In the final section the implications for policy-makers and practitioners of social and community network influences upon health are considered. This chapter is useful for all those studying public health, health promotion and health studies, as social capital is increasingly cited as an important health determinant and is used within contemporary policy. The chapter will also be of interest to those working with communities in any context, such as community development workers and community nurses.