Social Capital and Its Predictive Role in Quality of Life among the Elderly Referring to Health Centers in Tabriz, Iran: A Community- Based Study

Introduction: Paying attention to the quality of life (QOL) in the elderly life is an important
issue, given the criticality of this period. The Objective of the present study is to determine
social capital and its predictive role on QOL among elderly people living in Tabriz, East-
Azerbaijan province, Iran.
Methods: The present cross-sectional study was accomplished in 2018 on 522 elderly people
referred to the health centers in city of Tabriz. A multi-stage random cluster sampling was
implemented. The data were collected, using a demographical questionnaire, Onyx-Bullen
social capital, and WHOQOL-BREF QOL questionnaires. Then, they were analyzed by SPSS
software version 15 and descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean (SD) and inferential statistics
(Pearson, and Multivariate linear regression) were provided.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 65.7 years, 58% were women, 85.5% were
married, and 37.5% were illiterate. The mean )SD (of social capital score was 71.87 (10.51) (in
the range of 36-144) and for QOL, it was 64.64 (10.81) (in the range of 0-100). Social capital
had positive and direct relation with QOL. Out of all the variables studied; marital status,
education, economic status, health status, the absence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and
joint pains had significant relation with QOL. By some modifications in context factors, social
capital was considered to be a predictive factor for QOL [β (95%CI): 0.28 to 0.36)].
Conclusion: For the promotion of QOL among the elderly, certain strategies must be
implemented by health policy makers to enhance social capital among elderly people.