Social networks as a protective factor for worsened self-perceived health status related to self-perceived changes in loneliness and health conditions in adults aged 50+ during the COVID-19 outbreak

Shay Musbat; Inbal Reuveni; Racheli Magnezi

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20529

Social networks as a protective factor for worsened self-perceived health status related to self-perceived changes in loneliness and health conditions in adults aged 50+ during the COVID-19 outbreak

Shay Musbat, Inbal Reuveni, Racheli Magnezi

Department of Management

Hadassah University Medical Centre

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global pandemic, leading millions of people to change their lifestyles, especially older individuals who are the most at-risk population. Social isolation, the main preventive action to slow the pandemic's spread, reduced and drastically limited social connections, increasing older individuals' loneliness and stress, and worsening their health. We examined the connection between self-perceived changes in loneliness, the existence and type of social contact (face-to-face/electronic), and health conditions on self-perceived changes in health status during the outbreak, analyzing 51,778 individuals aged 50 plus from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) database Wave 8 beta (June–August 2020). We found that the odds for worsened self-perceived health status were 249% higher among individuals who reported increased loneliness compared to the non-increase group and were lower in individuals with face-to-face contact (31%) or electronic contact (54%) during the outbreak. In addition, the odds for worsened self-perceived health status were higher for individuals with hypertension (17%), cancer (19%), chronic lung disease (25%), heart problems (27%), and other illnesses (32%). Based on the results obtained, electronic contact has shown a stronger connection as a protective factor for worsened self-perceived health since the outbreak compared to face-to-face interactions. Thus, adopting a policy that encourages the usage of electronic communications could reduce the burden on the healthcare system, particularly during pandemics, while improving patient health outcomes and minimizing pandemic-related health risks. This approach is especially important for older individuals, for whom any departure from home can cause an additional risk of exposure to the virus.

Original language	English
Article number	e20529
Journal	Heliyon
Volume	9
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20529
State	Published - Oct 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors

Funding

This paper used data from SHARE Wave 8 release 0.0.1. beta. ( https://doi.org/10.6103/SHARE.w8cabeta.001 ). The SHARE data collection has been funded by the European Commission , DG RTD through FP5 (QLK6-CT-2001-00360), FP6 (SHARE-I3: RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE: CIT5-CT-2005-028857, SHARELIFE: CIT4-CT-2006-028812), FP7 (SHARE-PREP: GA N°211909, SHARE-LEAP: GA N°227822, SHARE M4: GA N°261982, DASISH: GA N°283646) and Horizon 2020 (SHARE-DEV3: GA N°676536, SHARE-COHESION: GA N°870628, SERISS: GA N°654221, SSHOC: GA N°823782) and by DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion through VS 2015/0195, VS 2016/0135, VS 2018/0285, VS 2019/0332, and VS 2020/0313. Additional funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research , the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National Institute on Aging (U01_AG09740-13S2, P01_AG005842, P01_AG08291, P30_AG12815, R21_AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG_BSR06-11, OGHA_04–064, HHSN271201300071C, RAG052527A) and from various national funding sources is gratefully acknowledged (see www.share-project.org ). This paper used data from SHARE Wave 8 release 0.0.1. beta. (https://doi.org/10.6103/SHARE.w8cabeta.001). The SHARE data collection has been funded by the European Commission, DG RTD through FP5 (QLK6-CT-2001-00360), FP6 (SHARE-I3: RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE: CIT5-CT-2005-028857, SHARELIFE: CIT4-CT-2006-028812), FP7 (SHARE-PREP: GA N°211909, SHARE-LEAP: GA N°227822, SHARE M4: GA N°261982, DASISH: GA N°283646) and Horizon 2020 (SHARE-DEV3: GA N°676536, SHARE-COHESION: GA N°870628, SERISS: GA N°654221, SSHOC: GA N°823782) and by DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion through VS 2015/0195, VS 2016/0135, VS 2018/0285, VS 2019/0332, and VS 2020/0313. Additional funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National Institute on Aging (U01_AG09740-13S2, P01_AG005842, P01_AG08291, P30_AG12815, R21_AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG_BSR06-11, OGHA_04–064, HHSN271201300071C, RAG052527A) and from various national funding sources is gratefully acknowledged (see www.share-project.org).

Funders	Funder number
European Commission , DG RTD
European Commission, DG RTD
National Institute on Aging	P01_AG005842, RAG052527A, Y1-AG-4553-01, P30_AG12815, HHSN271201300071C, OGHA_04–064, R21_AG025169, IAG_BSR06-11, U01_AG09740-13S2, P01_AG08291
Seventh Framework Programme	261982, 283646, 211909, 227822
Sixth Framework Programme	CIT4-CT-2006-028812, RII-CT-2006-062193, CIT5-CT-2005-028857
Fifth Framework Programme	QLK6-CT-2001-00360
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Horizon 2020	VS 2015/0195, VS 2020/0313, VS 2019/0332, VS 2018/0285, 654221, 676536, 870628, VS 2016/0135, 823782

Keywords

Aging
COVID-19
Electronic communication
Europe
Loneliness
Self-perceived health
Social networks

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20529

Cite this

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title = "Social networks as a protective factor for worsened self-perceived health status related to self-perceived changes in loneliness and health conditions in adults aged 50+ during the COVID-19 outbreak",

abstract = "The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global pandemic, leading millions of people to change their lifestyles, especially older individuals who are the most at-risk population. Social isolation, the main preventive action to slow the pandemic's spread, reduced and drastically limited social connections, increasing older individuals' loneliness and stress, and worsening their health. We examined the connection between self-perceived changes in loneliness, the existence and type of social contact (face-to-face/electronic), and health conditions on self-perceived changes in health status during the outbreak, analyzing 51,778 individuals aged 50 plus from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) database Wave 8 beta (June–August 2020). We found that the odds for worsened self-perceived health status were 249% higher among individuals who reported increased loneliness compared to the non-increase group and were lower in individuals with face-to-face contact (31%) or electronic contact (54%) during the outbreak. In addition, the odds for worsened self-perceived health status were higher for individuals with hypertension (17%), cancer (19%), chronic lung disease (25%), heart problems (27%), and other illnesses (32%). Based on the results obtained, electronic contact has shown a stronger connection as a protective factor for worsened self-perceived health since the outbreak compared to face-to-face interactions. Thus, adopting a policy that encourages the usage of electronic communications could reduce the burden on the healthcare system, particularly during pandemics, while improving patient health outcomes and minimizing pandemic-related health risks. This approach is especially important for older individuals, for whom any departure from home can cause an additional risk of exposure to the virus.",

keywords = "Aging, COVID-19, Electronic communication, Europe, Loneliness, Self-perceived health, Social networks",

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Social networks as a protective factor for worsened self-perceived health status related to self-perceived changes in loneliness and health conditions in adults aged 50+ during the COVID-19 outbreak

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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Cite this