Social Capital and All-cause Mortality before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic among People Aged 50+ in Poland

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Katarzyna Zawisza,  Beata Tobiasz Adamczyk  

The aim of this study was to verify social capital indicators as risk factors for 9.5 year all-cause mortality (8 years before COVID-19 pandemic and 1.5 year during of the pandemic) among men and women aged 50 years or older in Poland. The baseline cross-sectional survey was conducted in Poland in 2011 as a part of the COURAGE in Europe study. The analyzed sample included 3032 people (1186 men and 1846 women) randomly selected from the non-institutionalized Polish adult population aged 50 years or older. Face-to-face computer-assisted personal interviews using a structured questionnaire were conducted at respondents' homes by specially trained interviewers. The mean observation period in the cohort was 9.5 years. The following indicators of social capital were considered: individuals’ generalized trust, specific trust, social networks, social support and social participation. Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify hazards of all-cause mortality. The result show various patterns of all-cause mortality before and after the onset of pandemic as well as across gender groups.