An open-access study in BMC Health Services Research looks at how feeling part of your local community shapes the way rural residents judge health and social care. Using survey data from 405 adults living in the remote Serchio Valley in northern Tuscany, the authors explore whether a strong sense of community is linked to better evaluations of local services and what that might mean for the future of rural health and social care.
Key points from the research
What was done
- Survey of 405 residents in the Serchio Valley, a rural area with an ageing population and significant health challenges.
- As part of the ‘Proximity Care’ project’s Population Experience Observatory, researchers measured Sense of Community (SoC) with an 8-item scale and asked people to rate local health and social services.
What they found
- People with a stronger SoC were more likely to rate both health and social services positively.
- Older age, better self-reported health and receiving help from third-sector organisations were all linked with higher SoC.
- Being raised in the area and being a member of third-sector organisations also increased SoC, but these groups tended to be more critical in their service evaluations.
Why it matters
- SoC emerges as a key social resource for rural areas, not just for individual well-being but also for how services are experienced and judged.
- The authors argue that future rural health and social care policies should build on community strengths, with professionals acting less as sole providers and more as advocates and enablers of empowered local communities.
Read the full research paper: The relationship between Sense of Community and perceived service quality: rethinking the role of local communities in sustaining rural health and social care
