Shi Zhen, Du Xixi, Wang Dongyang, Paek Seung Chun, Kitcharoen Patreeya, Li Juan, Marohabutr Thammarat
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.
College of Humanities and Education, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jun 11;13:1598121. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1598121. eCollection 2025.
Health consciousness is a critical determinant of individuals' engagement in health behaviors, while social capital influences health-related questions. This study aims to explore the relationship between social capital-comprising social participation, social trust, social networks, and social reciprocity, and health consciousness in China, with particular emphasis on regional variations.
This study utilizes data from the 2021 Chinese Social Survey (CSS2021) and employs descriptive analysis, binary logistic regression, and subsample regression to examine the effects of social capital on health consciousness, with a focus on regional differences across China.
There are significant regional differences in health consciousness among Chinese residents. Overall, the proportion of residents exhibiting a high level of health consciousness accounted for more than half (67.3%), with eastern China leading at 68.8% and the western region at a lower level of 64.3%. Social participation, social trust, and social reciprocity were found to significantly influence health consciousness. Regionally, the eastern region was influenced by social participation, social trust, and social networks; the central region by social participation alone; and the western region by social reciprocity ( < 0.05). In terms of socio-demographic and economic characteristics, the eastern region's health consciousness was significantly influenced by age, gender, education, family economic status, and happiness. In the central region, factors included gender, marital status, education, family economic status, recent medical experience, and social equity cognition. In the western region, marital status, education, income group, family economic status, and social insurance satisfaction were significant factors ( < 0.05).
This study highlights significant regional disparities in health consciousness among Chinese residents with variations closely linked to socioeconomic development. Social capital, including social participation, social trust, social networks, and social reciprocity, plays a crucial role, with its impact varying across regions. Factors such as age, gender, education, income, and family economic status influence health consciousness differently depending on the region. The findings underscore the need for region-specific health policies that address socioeconomic factors and strengthen social capital, aiming to improve health consciousness and public health outcomes across China.
健康意识是个人参与健康行为的关键决定因素，而社会资本会影响与健康相关的问题。本研究旨在探讨社会资本（包括社会参与、社会信任、社会网络和社会互惠）与中国健康意识之间的关系，特别关注区域差异。
本研究使用2021年中国社会调查（CSS2021）的数据，并采用描述性分析、二元逻辑回归和子样本回归来检验社会资本对健康意识的影响，重点关注中国各地的区域差异。
中国居民的健康意识存在显著的区域差异。总体而言，具有较高健康意识的居民比例超过一半（67.3%），其中东部地区领先，为68.8%，西部地区较低，为64.3%。研究发现社会参与、社会信任和社会互惠对健康意识有显著影响。在区域层面，东部地区受社会参与、社会信任和社会网络的影响；中部地区仅受社会参与的影响；西部地区受社会互惠的影响（<0.05）。在社会人口和经济特征方面，东部地区的健康意识受年龄、性别、教育程度、家庭经济状况和幸福感的显著影响。在中部地区，影响因素包括性别、婚姻状况、教育程度、家庭经济状况、近期就医经历和社会公平认知。在西部地区，婚姻状况、教育程度、收入群体、家庭经济状况和社会保险满意度是显著因素（<0.05）。
本研究突出了中国居民健康意识存在显著的区域差异，这些差异与社会经济发展密切相关。社会资本，包括社会参与、社会信任、社会网络和社会互惠，发挥着关键作用，但其影响因地区而异。年龄、性别、教育程度、收入和家庭经济状况等因素对健康意识的影响因地区而异。研究结果强调需要制定针对特定地区的健康政策，解决社会经济因素并加强社会资本，旨在提高中国各地的健康意识和公共卫生成果。
