Purpose: Research on health inequalities has demonstrated that health outcomes appear to be related with the level and the distribution of socioeconomic status within society. But little is known about the mechanisms of the association between the individual health and poverty. In this study, it is hypothesized that the effects of socioeconomic deprivation on individual health are mediated by lower level of social networks and community social capital, when controlling for other individual characteristics.

Methodology: To estimate the factors associated with health status, this study make use of the data obtained from the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey (N = 29,233). Social network variables were measured by three different types of composite indices: informal friendship, network diversity, and organizational involvement. Community level social capital used the items of community participation. The outcome variable was measured by self-rated perceived health status, which was recoded into a dichotomous variable. All analyses were performed using SPSS (version 11), and the odd ratios of the logistic regression models were interpreted.

Results: Univariate results revealed that individual level socioeconomic status were associated with self rated health status. In turn, all of network and community social capital variables were associated with health status. When individual and community level characteristics were controlled, the logistic regression analyses showed that a one-unit increment in informal friendship was associated with a decline in the odds of having poor health of two or three out of ten people (95%CI=.698, .782). Although the associations were less than informal friendship, poor health was associated with the levels of network diversity (AOR=.942, 95%CI= .928, .955) organizational membership (AOR=.976 95% CI=.961, .992), community level participation (AOR=.909, 95%CI=.877, .943). When including mediating variables (networks and community social capital), the association between individual SES and health status was attenuated.

Implications: Findings of this study empirically support the idea that social networks are closely associated with overall health status of the vulnerable populations. Social workers and policy makers should understand how social networks and community interactions play a role in reducing health barriers. Policy development of macro-level interventions designed to improve community health will be discussed.