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. 2015 May;105(5):1013-9.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302427. Epub 2015 Mar 19.

Loneliness as a public health issue: the impact of loneliness on health care utilization among older adults

Kerstin Gerst-Emerson  1 , Jayani Jayawardhana
Affiliations

Loneliness as a public health issue: the impact of loneliness on health care utilization among older adults

Kerstin Gerst-Emerson et al. Am J Public Health. 2015 May.

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to determine whether loneliness is associated with higher health care utilization among older adults in the United States.

Methods: We used panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008 and 2012) to examine the long-term impact of loneliness on health care use. The sample was limited to community-dwelling persons in the United States aged 60 years and older. We used negative binomial regression models to determine the impact of loneliness on physician visits and hospitalizations.

Results: Under 2 definitions of loneliness, we found that a sizable proportion of those aged 60 years and older in the United States reported loneliness. Regression results showed that chronic loneliness (those lonely both in 2008 and 4 years later) was significantly and positively associated with physician visits (β = 0.075, SE = 0.034). Loneliness was not significantly associated with hospitalizations.

Conclusions: Loneliness is a significant public health concern among elders. In addition to easing a potential source of suffering, the identification and targeting of interventions for lonely elders may significantly decrease physician visits and health care costs.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Number of visits, by year and loneliness status, to (a) the doctor and (b) the hospital: Health and Retirement Study, United States, 2008 and 2012.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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