Introduction: High blood cholesterol is a rapidly growing social and health problem all over the world. It is estimated that it affects 39% of the global adult population. Although, genetic and biological factors play an important role in the development of high blood cholesterol, the main factor is the conditions of modern industrial society and the lifestyle changes it brings, such as inactivity. Given that the prevalence rate of high blood cholesterol in Iran is near the global average, and this disease is closely tied to social factors, this research aims to examine the impact of economic capital, social capital, and cultural capital on high blood cholesterol from a sociological point of view.
Method: This quantitative study was conducted using a survey method. Based on the mechanism of doing the research, the selected individuals were asked, through an invitation, to refer to a contracted laboratory in Tabriz city for a blood test, with the researcher covering the cost. Within a month of receiving invitations, 385 people who visited the laboratory for the medical test, were given research questionnaires including social capital, cultural capital, and economic capital and were asked to answer the questions. The collected data were analyzed by means of the logistic regression test in SPSS software.
Findings: On the basis of the descriptive findings of the study, 304 respondents had normal blood cholesterol levels, and 81 had abnormal blood cholesterol levels. This meas that the prevalence rate of this harmful disease among Tabriz citizens is 21% or one out of five. The analytical findings of the research indicate that there is a significant relationship between social capital, cultural capital, and economic capital with membership in the normal blood cholesterol group. In other words, as social, cultural, and economic capitals increase, the likelihood of membership in the normal blood cholesterol group goes up. The findings show that the economic, social, and cultural capital variables are able to explain 0.43 of the changes in the dependent variable of being involved in high blood cholestrol.
Conclusion: High blood cholesterol is becoming increasingly prevalent as a significant social and health problem in Iran. Given its harmful consequences on one hand and its close connection with social determinants on the other, the findings of this study are of great importance. The conclusion of the present study is that high blood cholesterol can be reduced modifying social capital, cultural capital, and economic capital.