Alcohol-related problems are responsive to a variety of compositional and contextual conditions. Recent research suggests that social capital theory, a concept emphasizing those contextual features of social organization such as the extent of interpersonal trust between citizens, norms of reciprocity, and density of civic associations that facilitate cooperation for mutual benefit is associated with population health. Yet to be examined is how social capital relates to alcohol-related mortality and alcohol-related service utilization. The primary goal of this project is to examine the effects of social capital on alcohol-related mortality and alcohol related service utilization among the 46 counties of South Carolina independent of compositional factors associated with excessive alcohol use.
The specific aims are 1) to assess the extent to which there are differential effects of social capital on alcohol-related mortality, and 2) to assess the extent to which there are differential effects of social capital on alcohol-related service utilization. Careful evaluation of mechanistic links may help sharpen existing theoretical models and have important implications for targeting specific public health prevention and intervention strategies.
