Social Isolation, Loneliness and Metabolic Syndrome Among Older Adults: An Interprofessional Community-Based Study

Background and Purpose: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been exploring the role of social isolation on chronic illness among older adults. Studies show physical and emotional association between human connection and the clustering of biological chronic illness conditions, also known as metabolic syndrome (e.g., high blood pressure, high blood sugar, body weight, cholesterol level). Such clustering of health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, kidney disease, several types of cancers, schizophrenia, and other mental health disorders constitute metabolic syndrome, which is more prevalent among older adults of racial and ethnic groups that have the highest rates of morbidity. Evidence shows that low education and advanced age increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. Yet, few studies have examined the correlation between social isolation and metabolic syndrome among older adults living in low-income senior housing communities. The purpose of this preliminary research is to assess if there is a correlation between patient-reported incidences of social isolation and metabolic syndrome among older adults in senior housing communities.

Methods: This community outreach intervention targeted older adults in low-income housing communities in the northeast as a part of a larger interdisciplinary research team that included social workers, doctors (MD), and advanced practice registered nurses (APRN). The nurse on the team evaluated metabolic syndrome using objective measures (e.g., blood pressure, A1C score). A brief questionnaire was administered to older adults (n=178) to gather data on their demographics and social isolation. To assess social isolation/loneliness, respondents were asked: “How often have you had contact with family, friends, or other people in the past week?” Possible responses were: (1) very often, (2) often, (3) seldom, (4) not at all. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple logistic regressions were used to assess if social isolation correlated with metabolic syndrome, controlling for other factors.

Results: The mean age was 75; they were mostly to be women (n= 140, 78.65%), Latino (n=52, 29.21%), Black (n=35, 19.66%), (White (n=13, 7.30%). Black men were less likely than White men to have metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR], 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-0.88). Black women were more likely than White women to have metabolic syndrome (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.03-1.47). Hispanic/Latino/ women and men had the highest rates of metabolic syndrome, on average 20% higher than White participants and 15 % higher than Black participants. Most surprisingly, all racial groups reported low social isolation/loneliness, irrespective of metabolic syndrome, age, or education. There was no significant difference in reports of social isolation or loneliness across racial or gender groups. Social isolation did not correlate with metabolic syndrome after controlling for other factors.

Conclusions and Implications: This study underscored the importance of race on the health of older adults; Hispanic/Latino women and men were most vulnerable to metabolic syndrome. More research is needed to understand the protective factors of social isolation among racial and ethnically diverse older adults.