Social and physical neighbourhood characteristics and loneliness among older adults: results from the MINDMAP project

Abstract

BackgroundLoneliness is associated with several adverse mental and physical health outcomes in older adults. Previous studies have shown that a variety of individual-level and perceived area-level characteristics are associated with loneliness. This study examined the associations of objectively measured social and physical neighbourhood characteristics with loneliness.MethodsWe used cross-sectional data from 1959 older adults (63–98 years) who participated in the Longitudinal Ageing Study Amsterdam (LASA; wave 2011/12) and the Health and Living Conditions of the Population of Eindhoven and Surroundings study (GLOBE; wave 2014) in the Netherlands. Study-specific loneliness scores were harmonised across both cohort studies and divided into tertiles denoting low, medium and high levels of loneliness. Objectively measured neighbourhood characteristics, including area-level percentages of low educated residents, social security beneficiaries and unoccupied dwellings, average income, crime levels and land use mix, were linked to individual-level data. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations of interest.ResultsThere was no statistical evidence for an association of the included neighbourhood characteristics with loneliness. Although not statistically significant, the observed associations suggested that participants living in neighbourhoods with more heterogeneous land use mix were less likely to have a medium and high level of loneliness than those living in more homogeneous neighbourhoods in terms of land use mix (ORmedium=0.54, 95% CI=0.18–1.67; ORhigh=0.67, 95% CI=0.21–2.11).ConclusionThe results indicate that the included objectively measured social and physical neighbourhood characteristics are not associated with loneliness in old age.

Planning, Aging, and Loneliness: Reviewing Evidence About Built Environment Effects

“…For example, Lee and Tan's (2019) survey in Texas reveals no association of loneliness with both objective (Walk Score) and perceived neighborhood accessibility (ease of walking to stores and transit and whether there were many places to walk to). Timmermans et al (2020), in a Dutch study, find no associations between loneliness and objectively measured land-use mix within 1 km radius around participants' homes (N = 1,956; aged 63-98 years).…”

“…Studies that use either objective measurements or measured a single aspect are less likely to identify associations between walkability and loneliness (Finlay and Kobayashi 2018; Lee and Tan's 2019; Timmermans et al 2020;van den Berg et al 2016). For example, Lee and Tan's (2019) survey in Texas reveals no association of loneliness with both objective (Walk Score) and perceived neighborhood accessibility (ease of walking to stores and transit and whether there were many places to walk to).…”

Neighbourhood cohesion, loneliness and perceived social isolation prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Longitudinal evidence from the German Ageing Survey

“…For example, based on data from Hongkong, a previous cross-sectional study showed an association between higher neighbourhood social cohesion and lower loneliness levels among older adults prior to the COVID-19 pandemic [8]. In contrast, based on cross-sectional data from the Netherlands prior to the pandemic, another former study did not find an association between objectively measured social and physical neighbourhood characteristics and loneliness among older adults [9]. Former research also demonstrated an association between living in a deprived area and higher social exclusion in later life prior to the pandemic [11].…”

“…For example, these reviews showed that being married is a protective factor against loneliness and social isolation [6,7]. While several of these sociodemographic determinants of loneliness and social isolation have been clarified among middle-aged and older adults, only a few studies exist investigating the association between neighbourhood-related factors and loneliness as well as perceived social isolation [8,9,10,11,12,13]. For example, based on data from Hongkong, a previous cross-sectional study showed an association between higher neighbourhood social cohesion and lower loneliness levels among older adults prior to the COVID-19 pandemic [8].…”

Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Processes and Dynamics and Healthy Ageing: A Scoping Review

“…Disadvantaged neighbourhoods also contributed to shopping difficulty [ 168 ], worse health [ 169 ], and loneliness [ 170 ]. However, there was no strong evidence that neighbourhood characteristics were associated with loneliness in another study [ 171 ]. Reduced odds of psychological distress was associated with greater employment deprivation [ 172 ].…”