Loneliness as a Public Health Issue: The Impact of Loneliness on Health Care Utilization Among Older Adults
Loneliness as a Public Health Issue: The Impact of Loneliness on Health Care Utilization Among Older Adults
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DOI：
10.2105/ajph.2014.302427
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发表时间：
2015-05-01
影响因子：
12.7
通讯作者：
Jayawardhana, Jayani
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Gerst-Emerson, Kerstin;Jayawardhana, Jayani
目标.我们的目的是确定孤独是否与美国老年人更高的医疗保健利用率相关。我们使用健康与退休研究（2008年和2012年）的面板数据来研究孤独对医疗保健使用的长期影响。样本仅限于美国60岁及以上的社区居民。我们使用负二项回归模型来确定孤独感对医生就诊和住院的影响。根据孤独的两种定义，我们发现在美国60岁及以上的人中有相当大比例的人报告孤独。回归结果显示，慢性孤独（2008年和4年后的孤独者）与医生就诊次数呈显著正相关（B = 0.075，SE = 0.034）。孤独症与住院无显著相关性。孤独症是老年人中一个重要的公共卫生问题。除了缓解潜在的痛苦来源外，确定和针对孤独老人的干预措施可能会显着减少医生的访问和医疗保健费用。
Objectives. We aimed to determine whether loneliness is associated with higher health care utilization among older adults in the United States.Methods. We used panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008 and 2012) to examine the long-term impact of loneliness on health care use. The sample was limited to community-dwelling persons in the United States aged 60 years and older. We used negative binomial regression models to determine the impact of loneliness on physician visits and hospitalizations.Results. Under 2 definitions of loneliness, we found that a sizable proportion of those aged 60 years and older in the United States reported loneliness. Regression results showed that chronic loneliness (those lonely both in 2008 and 4 years later) was significantly and positively associated with physician visits (b = 0.075, SE = 0.034). Loneliness was not significantly associated with hospitalizations.Conclusions. Loneliness is a significant public health concern among elders. In addition to easing a potential source of suffering, the identification and targeting of interventions for lonely elders may significantly decrease physician visits and health care costs.