CPHCE (CES-P&CH Collaboration)
Project Rationale
Social isolation has been identified as a potential risk factors for poor health outcomes and inappropriate or inadequate service use. The prevalence, among older people in Australia, for social isolation is 17% and living alone is 25% and increasing. A meta-analytical review found premature mortality rates of 29% for those who are socially isolated and 32% for those living alone. The role social isolation and living alone play in health service use, morbidity and mortality for older Australians is not clear, nor is the magnitude of its effect.
Project Aim/s
To identify the independent factors associated with social isolation and living alone and the impact of social isolation and living alone on health service use and mortality.
Project Design and Method
The study had two elements the first being a cross-sectional analysis and the second being a prospective cohort design. We used the CES-P&CH data linkage resource. We identified factors associated with social isolation and living alone. We also identified factors associated with, health service use (2009-2011) and 5-year mortality (2010 to 2015) for those who were/were not socially isolated, and those who did/did not live alone. Adjusted prevalence ratios were calculated by including all the factors into multivariable generalised linear models.
Outcomes/Outputs
The demographic, social and health characteristics associated with living alone appear to differ substantially from those associated with socially isolation. The only independent factors associated with both were being more likely to self-report poor quality of life, and less likely to be a parent or need help with daily activities. Participants who lived alone were more likely to be higher health service users (any ED attendances and any overnight hospitalisations), than those who were socially isolated. We did not find any associations with 5-year mortality, nor did other Australian authors who looked at living alone in older people.
School
Research Area
Health System Integration and Primary Health Care Development | Action for Equity
- Chief investigators
- Publications
- Key Partners
- Funding
- Contact
Barr M, Welberry H , Hall J, Comino E , Harris E , Harris-Roxas B , Jackson T , Donnelly D, Harris M
Reports
- Social Isolation and Health Service Use in the Central and Eastern Sydney area
- 2022 May Research Translation Webinar: Social Isolation
Conference presentations
- Barr M, Comino E, Welberry H, Kabir A, Harris-Roxas B, Lloyd J, Blunden LA, Jackson T, Donnelly D, Harris L, Harris M. Is living alone predictive or protective for social isolation among older people? Presentation at the Public Health Association, Australia Conference, Adelaide, 17-19 Sep 2019.
- Blunden LA, Lloyd J, Barr M, Welberry H, Comino E, Harris-Roxas B, Jackson T, Donnelly D, Harris L, Harris M. Understanding the medical determinants and health service needs of older people who experience loneliness in Sydney, Australia. Poster presentation at the International Conference on Integrated Care, San Sebastian, Spain. 2019.
- Jackson T, Barr M, Comino E, Welberry H, Kabir A, Harris-Roxas B, Lloyd J, Blunden L, Donnelly D, Goodger B, Harris M. Impact of social isolation and living alone on health service use, morbidity and mortality over time in Central and Eastern Sydney, Australia. Presented at the 2nd Asia Pacific Conference on Integrated Care, Melbourne, 11-13 Nov 2019.
- Barr M, Kabir A, Harris-Roxas B, Comino E, Jackson T, Crozier AM, Goodger B, Finch J, Harris M. All-cause mortality in Australia: impact of social isolation and living alone, Presented at the virtual World Congress of Epidemiology, Melbourne, Sept 2021. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2021. 50 (S1) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyab168.060
Sydney Local Health District, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Central and Eastern Sydney.
Sydney Local Health District, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Central and Eastern Sydney.
Margo Barr Phone: 02 9065 6041
Email: margo.barr@unsw.edu.au