The Association between Social Partcipation and General Health among Women in Ilam

Social participation, as an effective strategy in health promotion, can affect individuals’ health. Given the social role of women in the society, social participation can have a stronger association with health. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between social participation and general health among women in Ilam.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 385 women over 18 years old selected through multi-stage sampling in Ilam in 2014. The data were collected using Women’s Social Participation Factors questionnaire and 28-item Goldberg’s questionnaire. Then, the data were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation coefficient, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multivariate linear regression analysis.
The mean age of the study women was 35.12±7.12 years. Besides, their mean scores of general health and social participation were 27.97±9.18 and 78.25±12.14, respectively. The results showed a significant correlation between the women’s general health and social participation (r=-0.46, P=0.01). Moreover, general health and social participation (B=-3.70, P=0.01), age (B=-2.94, P=0.01), education level (B=-2.03, P=0.02), and occupation (B=-2.08, P=0.01) were statistically significant in multivariate regression analysis.
Considering the various variables related to the women’s general health and the cumulative effect of the variables on social participation, improvement of modifiable risk factors, such as social participation and support, can have a direct impact on women’s general health.