Social capital and having a regular family doctor: Evidence from longitudinal data

Hana Bataineh, Rose Anne Devlin and Vicky Barham

Social Science & Medicine, 2019, vol. 220, issue C, 421-429

Abstract: Access to a regular source of health-care is problematic for some, irrespective of whether the regime is publicly or privately funded. Yet, evidence shows that access to a regular family doctor improves health outcomes. We are the first to examine the impact of social capital (e.g., tangible support, friends and family) on having a regular family doctor taking into account that social capital may be endogenously determined. Using the Canadian National Population Health longitudinal survey (1994–2010: n = 41,022) and a dynamic random effects probit model (with and without endogenous initial conditions) we find robust evidence of a statistically significant and positive causal relationship between social capital and the probability of having a regular family doctor. Since past access to a family doctor is a strong predictor of both current and future access, we show that social capital is much more important in helping individuals find a family doctor than for keeping one.

Keywords: Canada; Social capital; Social networks; Regular family doctor; National population health survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Working Paper: Social Capital and Having a Regular Family Doctor: Evidence from Longitudinal Data (2018)
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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.12.003

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