Abstract

Introduction: Social capital is an import asset in the context of healthy and active ageing. Bridging social capital refers to the networks that tie people from different social groups; in contrast, bonding social capital implies the existence of intimate ties, based on trust. Objective: To measure the social capital of older adults, user of the public primary health care. Methods. Descriptive study, implemented in a non-experimental design, carried out in the city of Valparaiso, Chile with a sample of 146 subjects. Results: The data allows to indicate that older adults have more bonding capital than bridging capital. Moreover, it was observed that older people with higher levels of education present higher mean scores of social capital, result that is related to social status, availability of social resources and healthier ageing. Conclusion: The knowledge of the nature and size of social networks from the perspective of bonding and bridging social capital in older people will allow comprehending the importance for the better opportunities the access to institutional resources for to have the right to healthier aging.