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. 2020 Jul 14;7(3):521-534.
doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2020042. eCollection 2020.

Associations among living alone, social support and social activity in older adults

Elizabeth Chan  1 , Elizabeth Procter-Gray  1 , Linda Churchill  1 , Jie Cheng  1 , Rachel Siden  1 , Annabella Aguirre  1 , Wenjun Li  1
Affiliations

Associations among living alone, social support and social activity in older adults

Elizabeth Chan et al. AIMS Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: We examined cross-sectional associations of living alone with social isolation among community-dwelling older adults in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA.

Methods: Four hundred participants 65 years old and older were recruited in community group settings or by direct mail. Participants were queried for living status, social support, frequency of social activity, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, and health conditions. Social isolation was assessed by lack of social support and decreased frequency of social activity. Physical activity (PA) was measured via an accelerometer and global positioning system (GPS), which was worn by the participant, for at least 7 consecutive days.

Results: Participants living alone (N = 110) had less social support than those living with others (N = 290) (p < 0.001) but did not differ significantly in the frequency of their social activities. Group-setting recruitment was strongly associated with greater social activity (p < 0.001). Less social support was independently associated with a less-than-high-school education (p = 0.001), higher CES-D depression score (p < 0.001) and lower PA (p = 0.003). Less social activity was independently associated with a less-than-high-school education (p = 0.007) and annual income less than $50,000 (p = 0.01).

Discussion: Older adults who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, have less social support, and who live alone are more likely to be socially isolated and may benefit from continuation of low-cost social activities and increased social support inside the home. Identifying correlates of social isolation may inform future interventions.

Keywords: exercise; social networks; social support; successful aging.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: All authors declare no conflicts of interest in this paper.

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