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Healthy Ageing: Focus on Social Capital

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Book cover Social Capital as a Health Resource in Later Life: The Relevance of Context

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Aging ((Int. Perspect. Aging,volume 11))

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the central theme in this volume: the relevance of social capital for health and well-being within various contexts or environments. The ongoing greying of populations is today a worldwide challenge. To keep older people active and healthy is a key policy objective as well as a topic highlighted in research. Active and healthy ageing is highly influenced by the social environment in which an older person lives, and a research focus on social capital offers a way for understanding the relevance of the social environment on the micro (individual), meso (neighbourhood) and macro (societal) level. Social capital is a resource that can be used to promote health and well-being; yet research has thus far largely ignored the relevance of social capital for older people. This chapter addresses the central social capital themes of this book by describing three different contextual views of social capital: the individual, neighbourhood and societal contexts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Social Policy, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Fredrica Nyqvist PhD

  2. Mental Health Promotion Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Vaasa, Finland

    Fredrica Nyqvist PhD & Anna K. Forsman

  3. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Developmental Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Anna K. Forsman

Authors
  1. Fredrica Nyqvist PhD
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  2. Anna K. Forsman
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Correspondence to Fredrica Nyqvist PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Social Policy, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Fredrica Nyqvist

  2. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Developmental Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Anna K. Forsman

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Nyqvist, F., Forsman, A. (2015). Healthy Ageing: Focus on Social Capital. In: Nyqvist, F., Forsman, A. (eds) Social Capital as a Health Resource in Later Life: The Relevance of Context. International Perspectives on Aging, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9615-6_1

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