The Effects of Social Networks on Self-Rated Health: The Case of Seoul, South Korea

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate and identify the association between social networks and self-rated health. For this purpose, secondary dataset from Korea Welfare Foundation was used in the present study. The final samples were composed of 6,304 respondents. The present study included socio-economic, socio-demographic, behavioral and social networks variables as the crucial determinants of self-rated health. Research on social networks has been examined for a long time, but it has been embarrassed by different views on the importance of social networks factors. In order to analyze the relations among social networks, descriptive statistics for analyzing characteristics of the variables regression analysis were conducted. The results reveal that, in general, family network ties, social participation and social support as social networks’ components are significantly strong predictors of self-rated health. On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that the present study provides some evidences that link between social networks and health exists. This study hopes that decision makers may need to consider designing policies that leverage social networks for the enhancement of citizens’ health, and thus, make a small contribution to improving the people’s health status.