Association of social capital with obesity among older adults in China: a cross-sectional analysis

Background Under the global aging trend, health issues of the elderly have received more and more attention. Among them, older adults' obesity is one of the common health problems of the elderly. The association between social capital and obesity in the older adults has been analysed and discussed in previous studies but remains controversial. There are few studies on the association between social capital and obesity in the older adults in China. We examined whether social capital was associated with obesity in Chinese older adults. Methods The data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) -wave 8 (2017-2018) was used in this study. Totally, 10,164 respondents were included in the final analysis. Generalized trust, social participation (informal social interaction and participation of organized social activities), and social support was used as measures of social capital. Obesity status was defined by body mass index (BMI). Logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations between the social capital and obesity, adjusting for confounders. Results We found that the older adults who did not trust people around had greater odds of being overweighted/obese compared to those who trust [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 1.155, 95% CI 1.045 to 1.265]. The older adults having formal participation (participating in organized social activities) registered considerably higher BMI (AOR 1.155, 95% CI 1.041 to 1.269). The older adults who did not trust people around them had greater odds of being overweighted/obese both in males (AOR 1.172, 95% CI 1.012-1.333) and in females (AOR 1.155, 95% CI 1.004-1.306). Males having formal social participation were more likely to be overweighted/obese (AOR 1.181, 95% CI 1.024 to 1.337), but not in females. Conclusions Generalized trust and formal social participation was associated with overweight/obesity among older adults in China. Targeted obesity interventions for older adults are needed by developing public health policies for social capital optimization.