TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) — More than one-third of U.S. older adults report loneliness and social isolation, according to a research letter published online Dec. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Preeti N. Malani, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues characterized loneliness and social isolation among community-dwelling U.S. older adults. The analysis included participants (aged 50 to 80 years) in the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging (between 2,051 and 2,576 for each of six time points from October 2018 to March 2024).

The researchers found that in 2018, the proportion of adults reporting that they felt a lack of companionship “some of the time” or “often” was 33.9 percent, increasing to 41.4 percent during the early pandemic in 2020. This proportion fluctuated in 2021 (37.1 percent), 2022 (41.6 percent), 2023 (37.2 percent), and 2024 (33.4 percent). Those not working, living alone, and with lower household incomes most commonly reported loneliness. Compared with those with excellent, very good, or good physical health and mental health, rates of loneliness were higher among those with self-reported fair and poor physical health and mental health. Findings for social isolation followed a similar pattern.

“Much like routinely asking about diet and exercise, clinicians should consider screening older adults for loneliness and social isolation and connect them with appropriate resources,” the authors write.

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