Socioeconomic Determinants of Social Capital Inequality among Older Adults of Tehran: A Population-Based Study (Urban HEART-2)

Social capital (SC) is an essential concept of communities, and there is more SC inequality. In the current study, we studied SC Inequality concerning the explanatory socioeconomic factors.

In a cross-sectional observational study, the household data were retrieved from an Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool survey in 2011. Over 5000 elderlies in Tehran (> 60 years old) consented to participate in the study and filled out 2 SC questionnaires (SCQ) and a household properties questionnaire (HPQ). Subsequently, the collected HPQ data were then statistically analyzed and used to measure the economic status of households. Besides, the statistical concentration index of the SC was applied to measure socioeconomic inequality and decomposed into its determinants using both SCQ and HPQ data collections. The concentration index and the decomposition analysis were used to analyze the study data.

The overall concentration index of the SC in Tehran senior citizens was 0.059 (95%CI,0.044-0.076). Among the SC dimensions, collective activity, social coherence, voluntary help, and social network were more concentrated in the poor older adults. Simultaneously, reciprocity was more focused on the wealthy class, and there was no inequality in trust. The decomposition of the concentration index showed that economic status made the most considerable contribution to the SC inequality among citizens (69.11%), followed by the level of education (12.695) and the elderlies'job type (9.58%).

Given that the economic status and level of education are the 2 main determinants of SC inequality, a holistic policy approach should be adopted to address the socioeconomic inequalities that are taken root in Tehran's senior communities.