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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2010 Nov 1;101(Suppl 3):S24–S28. [Article in French] doi: 10.1007/BF03403978

Le capital social réduit les écarts socioéconomiques dans la santé de l’enfant : données probantes de l’étude «Les comportements de santé des jeunes d’âge scolaire » au Canada

Frank J Elgar 15,✉, Stephen J Trites 15, William Boyce 25
PMCID: PMC6974140  PMID: 21416815

Résumé

Objectif: Déterminer si l’exposition des adolescents au capital social du quartier (les niveaux de confiance, de cohésion et de coopération qui y sont présents) réduit les écarts socioéconomiques dans leurs résultats de santé physique et psychologique.

Méthode: Les données d’enquête ont été recueillies auprès de 9 717 jeunes Canadiens de la 6e à la 10e année ayant participé à l’étude «Les comportements de santé des jeunes d’âge scolaire» en 2006. L’analyse des données a porté sur les interactions entre le statut socioéconomique (SSE) et le capital social pour cinq résultats: les symptômes psychologiques, les symptômes somatiques, les blessures, les bagarres et l’appréciation de la vie.

Résultats: Les effets du SSE sur ces cinq résultats sanitaires varient selon le niveau d’exposition au capital social du quartier. De hauts niveaux de capital social réduisent ou éliminent les écarts socioéconomiques en santé. Toutefois, dans les secteurs au capital social élevé, les enfants de milieux plus aisés déclarent légèrement plus de symptômes somatiques, de blessures et de bagarres que les enfants de milieux moins aisés.

Conclusion: La réduction des inégalités en santé chez les enfants et les jeunes doit être une priorité publique. Nos résultats laissent entendre que le renforcement du capital social des quartiers est une façon de réduire les disparités socioéconomiques dans la santé physique et psychologique des enfants. Cependant, ces constatations indiquent qu’il peut y avoir un revers à la médaille du capital social, car il semble infirmer les écarts socioéconomiques dans certains résultats.

Mots clés: facteurs socioéconomiques, classe sociale, enfant, adolescent, traumatismes, santé

Footnotes

Conflit d’intérêts: Aucun à déclarer.

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