Definitions and Measurement of Social Health: A Scoping Review to Inform Future Research

Background: Social health is increasingly recognized as an essential component of overall wellbeing, yet its definition and measurement remain inconsistent.This review aimed to map existing definitions and measurement approaches of the individual level of social health to identify research gaps and contribute to a more unified understanding of the concept. Methods:The search was conducted on April 13, 2023, in three databases-ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed-following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines for scoping reviews.The databases were searched using a predefined search strategy covering the period from 2000 to 2023.Studies were included if they focused on the conceptualization and measurement of social health, regardless of geographic location.Exclusion criteria included opinion pieces, discussions, and letters.Only peer-reviewed articles published in English were considered.Results: Ultimately, 68 articles were assessed for eligibility.Of the studies selected for full-text review, 43 were excluded for various reasons.Also, 17 articles did not focus on the concept of social health, 15 articles that connected social health with another topic, and 11 articles used terms related to social health as outcome measures.Ultimately, data from 25 articles that met the inclusion criteria were included in the review. Conclusion:Our findings show that many studies lack a clear definition of social health, leading to inconsistent measurements.This highlights the need for a unified approach to defining and measuring social health in future research.