Neighborhood and family social capital and oral health status of children in Iowa

Neighborhood and family social capital and oral health status of children in Iowa. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my committee for their guidance, feedback, and support throughout this process. A master's thesis is a graduate student's first step into the incredible world of research, and so much of that transition is dependent on good guidance and mentorship. I also thank my family and friends for their tireless support of my academic endeavors. Knowing that so many young adults do not have this level of social support as they begin their careers, this is something that I will never take for granted. And finally, mil gracias to my life partner, mi vida, for your unconditional love and encouragement, and for challenging me to strive for nothing less than my wildest dreams. iii ABSTRACT Oral health disparities in children is an important public health issue in the United States. A growing body of evidence supports the impact of the social determinants of oral health, moving beyond individual predictors of disease to family-and community-level influences. The goal of this study is to examine one such social determinant, social capital, in the family and neighborhood and their relationships with oral health in Iowa children. A statewide representative data source, the 2010 Iowa Child and Family Household Health Survey, was analyzed cross-sectionally for child oral health status as the outcome, a four-item index of neighborhood social capital and four separate indicators for family social capital as the main predictors. Data were analyzed using a mixed linear regression with a random effect for zip code. Soda consumption was checked as a potential mediator between the social capital variables and oral health status. A significant association was found between oral health status and neighborhood social capital (p=0.005) and family frequency of eating meals together (p=0.02) after adjusting for covariates. Soda consumption was not found to mediate the effect of family or neighborhood social capital on child oral health status. Neighborhood social capital and family function, a component of family social capital, may influence child oral health outcomes.