Geographic Characteristics of Loneliness in Primary Care.

Geographic Characteristics of Loneliness in Primary Care. Ann Fam Med. 2019 Mar;17(2):158-160 Authors: Tong S, Mullen RA, Hochheimer CJ, Sabo RT, Liaw WR, Nease DE, Krist AH, Frey JJ Abstract Loneliness is associated with poor health outcomes, and there is growing attention on loneliness as a social determinant of health. Our study sought to determine the associations between community factors and loneliness. The Three-Item Loneliness Scale and zip codes of residence were collected in primary care practices in Colorado and Virginia. Living in zip codes with higher unemployment, poor access to health care, lower income, higher proportions of blacks, and poor transportation was associated with higher mean loneliness scores. Future studies that examine interventions addressing loneliness may be more effective if they consider social context and community characteristics. PMID: 30858259 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Annals of Family Medicine - Category: Primary Care Authors: Tags: Ann Fam Med Source Type: research