Neighborhood and family social capital and oral health status of children in Iowa

[摘要] Oral health disparities in children is an important public health issue in the United States. A growing body of evidence exists supporting the social determinants of oral health, moving beyond individual predictors of disease to family- and community-level influences.The goal of this study is to examine one such social determinant, social capital, at the family and neighborhood levels and their relationships with oral health in Iowa children. A statewide representative data source, the 2010 Iowa Child and Family Household Health Survey, was analyzed cross-sectionally for child oral health status as the outcome, a four-item index of neighborhood social capital and four separate indicators for family social capital as the main predictors, and seven covariates. Soda consumption was checked as a potential mediator between the social capital variables and oral health status. A significant association was found between oral health status and the neighborhood social capital index (p=0.005) and family frequency of eating meals together (p=0.02) after adjusting for covariates. Neighborhood social capital and family function, a component of family social capital, may independently influence child oral health outcomes.

[发布机构] University of Iowa