Cultural capital and smoking in young adults: applying new indicators to explore social inequalities in health behaviour.

BACKGROUND Associations between social status and health behaviours are well documented, but the mechanisms involved are less understood. Cultural capital theory may contribute to a better understanding by expanding the scope of inequality indicators to include individuals' knowledge, skills, beliefs and material goods to examine how these indicators impact individuals' health lifestyles. We explore the structure and applicability of a set of cultural capital indicators in the empirical exploration of smoking behaviour among young male adults. METHODS We analysed data from the Swiss Federal Survey of Adolescents (CH-X) 2010-11 panel of young Swiss males (n = 10 736). A set of nine theoretically relevant variables (including incorporated, institutionalized and objectified cultural capital) were investigated using exploratory factor analysis. Regression models were run to observe the association between factor scores and smoking outcomes. Outcome measures consisted of daily smoking status and the number of cigarettes smoked by daily smokers. RESULTS Cultural capital indicators aggregated in a three-factor solution representing 'health values', 'education and knowledge' and 'family resources'. Each factor score predicted the smoking outcomes. In young males, scoring low on health values, education and knowledge and family resources was associated with a higher risk of being a daily smoker and of smoking more cigarettes daily. CONCLUSION Cultural capital measures that include, but go beyond, educational attainment can improve prediction models of smoking in young male adults. New measures of cultural capital may thus contribute to our understanding of the social status-based resources that individuals can use towards health behaviours.

Social capital and adolescent health risk behavior in El Salvador

An emerging body of research suggests that the social capital available in one's social environment, as defined by supportive and caring interpersonal relationships, may provide a protective effect against a number of youth risk behaviors. In exploring the potential protective effect of social capital at school and at home on adolescent health and social risk behavior, a comprehensive youth risk behavior study was carried out in El Salvador during the summer of 1999 with a sample of 984 secondary school students attending 16 public rural and urban schools. The following dissertation, entitled Social Capital and Adolescent Health Risk Behavior in El Salvador, presents three papers centered on the topics of social capital and risk behavior. ^ Paper #1. Dangers in the Adolescent River of Life: A Descriptive Study of Youth Risk Behavior among Urban and Rural presents prevalence estimates of four principal youth risk behavior domains—aggression, depression, substance use, and sexual behaviors among students primarily between the ages of 13 and 17 who attend public schools in El Salvador. The prevalence and distribution of risk behaviors is examined by gender, geographic school location, age, and subjective economic status. ^ Paper #2. Social Capital and Adolescent Health Risk Behavior among Secondary School Students in El Salvador explores the relationship between social resources (social capital) within the school context and several youth risk behaviors. Results indicated that students who perceived higher social cohesion at school and higher parental social support were significantly less likely to report fighting, having been threatened or hurt with a weapon, suicidal ideation, and sexual intercourse than students with lower perceived social cohesion at school and parental social support after adjusting for several socio-demographic variables. ^ Lastly, paper #3. School Health Environment and Social Capital : Moving beyond the individual to the broader social developmental context provides a theoretical and empirical basis for moving beyond the predominant individual-focus and physical health concerns of school health promotion to the larger social context of schools and social health of students. This paper explores the concept of social capital and relevant adolescent development theories in relation to the influence of social context on adolescent health and behavior. ^

A focused ethnographic study of community social capital

Social capital, a relatively new public health concept, represents the intangible resources embedded in social relationships that facilitate collective action. Current interest in the concept stems from empirical studies linking social capital with health outcomes. However, in order for social capital to function as a meaningful research variable, conceptual development aimed at refining the domains, attributes, and boundaries of the concept are needed. An existing framework of social capital (Uphoff, 2000), developed from studies in India, was selected for congruence with the inductive analysis of pilot data from a community that was unsuccessful at mobilizing collective action. This framework provided the underpinnings for a formal ethnographic research study designed to examine the components of social capital in a community that had successfully mobilized collective action. The specific aim of the ethnographic study was to examine the fittingness of Uphoff's framework in the contrasting American community. A contrasting context was purposefully selected to distinguish essential attributes of social capital from those that were specific to one community. Ethnographic data collection methods included participant observation, formal interviews, and public documents. Data was originally analyzed according to codes developed from Uphoff's theoretical framework. The results from this analysis were only partially satisfactory, indicating that the theoretical framework required refinement. The refinement of the coding system resulted in the emergence of an explanatory theory of social capital that was tested with the data collected from formal fieldwork. Although Uphoff's framework was useful, the refinement of the framework revealed, (1) trust as the dominant attribute of social capital, (2) efficacy of mutually beneficial collective action as the outcome indicator, (3) cognitive and structural domains more appropriately defined as the cultural norms of the community and group, and (4) a definition of social capital as the combination of the cognitive norms of the community and the structural norms of the group that are either constructive or destructive to the development of trust and the efficacy of mutually beneficial collective action. This explanatory framework holds increased pragmatic utility for public health practice and research. ^

A teoria de Pierre Bourdie : Habitus, campo social e capital cultural

Através dos conceitos de habitus, campo social de capital cultural este trabalho busca demonstrar a teoria de Pierre Bourdieu e sua importância na pesquisa sociológica. Sua construçao teórica entrelaça conceitos chave que se completam e se fundem num conjunto interdependente que faz com que a teoria da açao seja sempre viva e aplicável a realidades distintas. Uma teoria que pode ser utilizada pontualmente na análise de uma sociedade, na sua formaçao e constituiçao, no entendimento de seus agentes, seus valores e costumes. Partindo de suas experiências pessoais, guiado por sua intuiçao e dono de uma percepçao ímpar Bourdieu conseguiu instituir uma teoria sólida e racional que possibilita investigar, teorizar e entender as peculiaridades das sociedades, modos de vida e sistemas de pensamento. As diferenças entre os povos e as manifestaçoes culturais presentes no convívio humano foram construídas coletivamente e se perpetuam no tempo. Enquanto muitos falam da constante evoluçao e mutaçao do ser humano, Bourdieu coloca a construçao da personalidade individual vinculada aos preceitos e a ordenaçao arraigada dos modos de vida de cada sociedade e dos campos sociais nela existentes, bem como torna nítida a influência da escolarizaçao na formaçao do indivíduo social

Conflictividad social y dominación política en Argentina, 1989-2001. Acumulación de capital, Estado y luchas obreras

Este trabajo intenta abordar el interrogante que refiere a la dinámica que asume la lucha de la clase obrera en la Argentina de la década del noventa. Es decir, se propone observar las respuestas de la clase trabajadora -ocupada y desocupada- a las condiciones que presenta la ofensiva capitalista y la reestructuración social, en relación al modo de acumulación neoliberal y a las configuraciones particulares que asume el Estado en ese período histórico. Ahora bien, estas respuestas han sido objeto de observación desde una variada producción intelectual sobre la cual este trabajo se centrará. De esta manera, intentamos recuperar críticamente las categorías analíticas sobre dichos procesos que algunos de los investigadores más importantes del campo han desarrollado. En este sentido, es necesario analizar la acumulación capitalista, la forma que adopta el Estado y la dinámica de las luchas obreras, como dimensiones de unas mismas relaciones sociales capitalistas. Este trabajo intentará aproximarse a la determinación histórica específica que estos conceptos expresan analizándolos en el caso argentino en la década del noventa en particular. Y esta relación no es posible pensarla escindida de la relación básica de funcionamiento del capitalismo, la relación capital-trabajo

Conflictividad social y dominación política en Argentina, 1989-2001. Acumulación de capital, Estado y luchas obreras

Este trabajo intenta abordar el interrogante que refiere a la dinámica que asume la lucha de la clase obrera en la Argentina de la década del noventa. Es decir, se propone observar las respuestas de la clase trabajadora -ocupada y desocupada- a las condiciones que presenta la ofensiva capitalista y la reestructuración social, en relación al modo de acumulación neoliberal y a las configuraciones particulares que asume el Estado en ese período histórico. Ahora bien, estas respuestas han sido objeto de observación desde una variada producción intelectual sobre la cual este trabajo se centrará. De esta manera, intentamos recuperar críticamente las categorías analíticas sobre dichos procesos que algunos de los investigadores más importantes del campo han desarrollado. En este sentido, es necesario analizar la acumulación capitalista, la forma que adopta el Estado y la dinámica de las luchas obreras, como dimensiones de unas mismas relaciones sociales capitalistas. Este trabajo intentará aproximarse a la determinación histórica específica que estos conceptos expresan analizándolos en el caso argentino en la década del noventa en particular. Y esta relación no es posible pensarla escindida de la relación básica de funcionamiento del capitalismo, la relación capital-trabajo

A teoria de Pierre Bourdie : Habitus, campo social e capital cultural

Através dos conceitos de habitus, campo social de capital cultural este trabalho busca demonstrar a teoria de Pierre Bourdieu e sua importância na pesquisa sociológica. Sua construçao teórica entrelaça conceitos chave que se completam e se fundem num conjunto interdependente que faz com que a teoria da açao seja sempre viva e aplicável a realidades distintas. Uma teoria que pode ser utilizada pontualmente na análise de uma sociedade, na sua formaçao e constituiçao, no entendimento de seus agentes, seus valores e costumes. Partindo de suas experiências pessoais, guiado por sua intuiçao e dono de uma percepçao ímpar Bourdieu conseguiu instituir uma teoria sólida e racional que possibilita investigar, teorizar e entender as peculiaridades das sociedades, modos de vida e sistemas de pensamento. As diferenças entre os povos e as manifestaçoes culturais presentes no convívio humano foram construídas coletivamente e se perpetuam no tempo. Enquanto muitos falam da constante evoluçao e mutaçao do ser humano, Bourdieu coloca a construçao da personalidade individual vinculada aos preceitos e a ordenaçao arraigada dos modos de vida de cada sociedade e dos campos sociais nela existentes, bem como torna nítida a influência da escolarizaçao na formaçao do indivíduo social