Frequent Neighborhood Participation Reduces the Probability of Loneliness Among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study From Singapore.

Abstract

Objectives: Loneliness at older ages is a significant public health concern, and promoting participation in neighborhood events and activities may be a possible avenue for alleviating loneliness among older adults. However, there remains a scarcity of empirical research in this field. Addressing this knowledge gap, our study examined the association between frequency of neighborhood participation by older adults and their subsequent feelings of loneliness 2 years later, in a nationally representative longitudinal cohort of community-dwelling Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 60 years and older.

Methods: We used 2 waves (2016-2017 and 2019) of data from the Transitions in Health, Employment, Social engagement and Intergenerational transfers in Singapore Study (THE SIGNS Study) (n = 1,217). Frequent neighborhood participation was defined as participating in neighborhood committees, clubs, or events once a week or more, while loneliness was measured using the Three-item Loneliness Scale. To mitigate selection bias, we employed inverse probability-weighted regression adjustment to estimate the relationship between the frequency of neighborhood participation and loneliness.

Results: Our findings indicate that older adults who participated in neighborhood events frequently had a lower probability of loneliness at Wave 2 compared to nonparticipants. Conversely, infrequent neighborhood participation at baseline did not demonstrate an association with loneliness at Wave 2.

Discussion: Our findings suggest that a higher intensity of involvement in neighborhood activities may be necessary to achieve the benefits of participation. Our findings also highlight the potential of neighborhood-based interventions as a public health strategy to address loneliness in aging populations.