Home and Community-Based Service Utilization among Older Adults in Urban China: The Role of Social Capital

Home and community-based service (HCBS) utilization is considered important for older adults who want to maintain their independence and remain in their communities. This study examined the relationship between structural (e.g., citizenship activities, volunteering) and cognitive (e.g., social trust, a sense of belonging) social capital and HCBS utilization among older Chinese adults. We analyzed survey data from 441 community-dwelling older adults in the Gusu district of the city of Suzhou, China in 2015. Quota sampling was used to select respondents. Negative binomial regression was used within the structural equation modeling framework to test the proposed model for HCBS utilization. Structural social capital had a direct association with HCBS utilization, controlling for predisposing, enabling, and need factors in the model. Further, cognitive social capital showed an indirect association with HCBS utilization via structural social capital. The results suggested the importance of establishing intervention programs that foster structural social capital to promote HCBS utilization.