Community and civic participation effects on health and well-being

Throughout the world, there has been an increased effort by national, regional, and local policy makers to encourage the development of social capital. This chapter explores the role of social capital as a social determinant of health and well-being. We start by summarising the existing literature relating to social capital, detailing the underpinnings and the many definitions and sub-categories of social capital that are currently used. We then briefly summarise the current evidence base and explain the hypothesized causal pathways between social capital and health. Two case studies from the United Kingdom are then introduced and described in detail. The first examines the role of community engagement - through participation in community assets - in improving health and well-being and altering the demand for formal health care services. The second looks at the effect that engagement with the political system, particularly voting behaviours, has on mental health and well-being. Both case studies provide compelling evidence that increased levels of social capital lead to improvements in health, at both individual and population level. We discuss the potential implications of these case studies and what can be done to further improve social capital and hence health and well-being.