Associations among appetite, social networks, and loneliness in community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study

Keisuke Fujii OTR, PhD , Kento Noritake MS , Daiki Nakashima MS , Yuta Kubo PhD , Kyosuke Yorozuya PhD , Soma Tsujishita PhD , Naoki Tomiyama MS
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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to clarify the association between reduced appetite and social factors, particularly social networks and loneliness, among community-dwelling older adults. Appetite is a key determinant of nutritional status and overall health in older adults, and its decline has been linked to adverse health outcomes, including frailty, sarcopenia, and increased mortality.

Methods

Primary assessments included the Japanese version of the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire, Lubben Social Network Scale-6, and UCLA Loneliness Scale to evaluate appetite, social networks, and loneliness. Multiple regression analysis was performed with appetite as the dependent variable and social network and loneliness as independent variables.

Results

Loneliness was significantly associated with reduced appetite in 126 participants, whereas social network size had no significant relationship with appetite.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that in the context of reduced appetite among older adults, subjective loneliness may be a more critical factor than the mere quantity of social contact. The results of this study indicated that reducing loneliness is crucial when considering intervention strategies to improve appetite in older adults. In addition to traditional population-based approaches aimed at expanding social networks, individualized interventions that address loneliness and provide psychological support may be necessary.
居住在社区的老年人食欲、社会网络和孤独感之间的关系:一项横断面研究
目的:本研究旨在阐明居住在社区的老年人食欲下降与社会因素之间的关系,特别是社会网络和孤独感。食欲是老年人营养状况和整体健康状况的关键决定因素,其下降与不良健康结果有关,包括虚弱、肌肉减少症和死亡率增加。方法采用日文版简易营养食欲问卷、Lubben社交网络量表-6和UCLA孤独感量表进行初步评估,评估食欲、社交网络和孤独感。以食欲为因变量,社交网络和孤独感为自变量,进行多元回归分析。结果126名受试者孤独感与食欲下降显著相关,而社交网络规模与食欲下降无显著关系。这些发现表明,在老年人食欲下降的背景下,主观孤独可能是比单纯的社会接触数量更重要的因素。本研究结果表明,在考虑改善老年人食欲的干预策略时,减少孤独感是至关重要的。除了旨在扩大社会网络的传统的以人口为基础的方法之外,解决孤独和提供心理支持的个性化干预措施可能是必要的。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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