Veenstra 2002 - "Social capital and health (plus wealth, income inequality, and regional health governance)"

Veenstra
"Social capital and health (plus wealth, income inequality and regional health governance)"
Social Science and Medicine
March 2002; v54, n6; pp 849-868
On the Web
Relevance: Medium-high

Describes a study of 30 health districts in Saskatchewan, comparing population health with social capital, income inequality, wealth, and governance. Social capital meant associational and civic participation. Two findings stand out:

• The author found no evidence of a relationship between social capital and good governance in the health districts.
• Low social capital was correlated to high mortality; high income inequality was also correlated to high mortality. The author writes, "the two may be co-mingled somehow when it comes to population health, although they were not significantly related to one another."

Veenstra's findings are promising because his use of social capital--associational and civic participation--is the same kind that may be affected by sprawl. And while the effects of social capital on mortality are "co-mingled" with income inequality, there is a relationship.