Social connectedness and engagement in preventive health services: an analysis of data from a prospective cohort study
- PMID: 30143472
- PMCID: PMC6123501
- DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30141-5
Social connectedness and engagement in preventive health services: an analysis of data from a prospective cohort study
Abstract
Background: Evidence of the possible health benefits of social connectedness is increasing. We aimed to examine poor social connectedness as a possible barrier to participation in preventive health services among older people (aged 53-69 years).
Methods: We analysed data from a prospective cohort study of 5362 socially stratified births from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development enrolled in England, Scotland, and Wales in March 1946. At ages 68-69 years, participants reported participation in blood pressure and cholesterol measurement, eyesight and dental check-ups, influenza immunisation, and bowel and breast cancer screening. Our primary outcome measure summed participation across all these tests and services at ages 68-69 years. We tested associations between structural and functional social connectedness from ages 53 years to 69 years and total count of participation in these preventive services in Poisson models controlling for sex, education, occupational class, employment, chronic illnesses, and general practitioner consultations for health problems.
Findings: 940 (44%) of 2132 participants attended all preventive services within the recommended timeframes. At ages 68-69 years, being unmarried or not cohabiting (incident rate ratio [IRR] 1·33, 95% CI 1·20-1·47) and small personal social networks (IRR 1·51, 1·32-1·71) were independently associated with non-participation in more services, with associations consistent across most services. High social relationship quality at ages 68-69 years (IRR 0·91, 95% CI 0·87-0·95) and increasing social relationship quality from ages 53 years to 69 years (IRR 0·93, 0·89-0·97) were associated with low risk of non-participation.
Interpretation: Individuals with poor social connectedness appear to be at greater risk of not engaging in the full range of preventive services than individuals with good social connectedness. Improvement of access to social contacts and networks in older ages is already recommended for the maintenance of good mental health. This study suggests that social connectedness could also improve participation in a wide range of preventive health services, and hence could improve use of the health-care system and population health.
Funding: UK Medical Research Council.
Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Comment in
-
Social connectedness in older people: who is responsible?Lancet Public Health. 2018 Sep;3(9):e412-e413. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30159-2. Epub 2018 Aug 22. Lancet Public Health. 2018. PMID: 30143473 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
Age and gender differences in the reciprocal relationship between social connectedness and mental health.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2021 Jun;56(6):1069-1081. doi: 10.1007/s00127-020-01960-3. Epub 2020 Oct 3. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2021. PMID: 33011822
-
Behavioral and Pharmacotherapy Weight Loss Interventions to Prevent Obesity-Related Morbidity and Mortality in Adults: An Updated Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force [Internet].Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2018 Sep. Report No.: 18-05239-EF-1. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2018 Sep. Report No.: 18-05239-EF-1. PMID: 30354042 Free Books & Documents. Review.
-
Is mid-life social participation associated with cognitive function at age 50? Results from the British National Child Development Study (NCDS).BMC Psychol. 2016 Dec 2;4(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s40359-016-0164-x. BMC Psychol. 2016. PMID: 27908287 Free PMC article.
-
Understanding causes of and developing effective interventions for schizophrenia and other psychoses.Southampton (UK): NIHR Journals Library; 2016 Mar. Southampton (UK): NIHR Journals Library; 2016 Mar. PMID: 27010053 Free Books & Documents. Review.
-
Surveillance for use of preventive health-care services by older adults, 1995-1997.MMWR CDC Surveill Summ. 1999 Dec 17;48(8):51-88. MMWR CDC Surveill Summ. 1999. PMID: 10634271
Cited by
-
Exploring the association between social isolation and utilization of primary health services by older adults: evidence from China.Front Public Health. 2024 Mar 18;12:1341304. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1341304. eCollection 2024. Front Public Health. 2024. PMID: 38562256 Free PMC article.
-
Examining the social networks of older adults receiving informal or formal care: a systematic review.BMC Geriatr. 2023 Aug 31;23(1):531. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-04190-9. BMC Geriatr. 2023. PMID: 37653368 Free PMC article.
-
Strengthening implementation research on social prescribing in mental healthcare for older adults in Western Pacific Region.Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2023 Mar 9;35:100721. doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100721. eCollection 2023 Jun. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2023. PMID: 37424686 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Social relationship satisfaction and accumulation of chronic conditions and multimorbidity: a national cohort of Australian women.Gen Psychiatr. 2023 Jan 17;36(1):e100925. doi: 10.1136/gpsych-2022-100925. eCollection 2023. Gen Psychiatr. 2023. PMID: 36844964 Free PMC article.
-
Participation in Population Health Interventions by Older Adults in Poland: Barriers and Enablers.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 27;20(3):2284. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032284. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023. PMID: 36767650 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Berkman LF, Glass T, Brissette I, Seeman TE. From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium. Soc Sci Med. 2000;51:843–857. - PubMed
-
- Umberson D. Gender, marital status and the social control of health behavior. Soc Sci Med. 1992;34:907–917. - PubMed
-
- Bish A, Yardley L, Nicoll A, Michie S. Factors associated with uptake of vaccination against pandemic influenza: a systematic review. Vaccine. 2011;29:6472–6484. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical