Abstract P249: Association Between Loneliness and Functionality in an Elderly Population

Abstract

Background: Functionality plays a pivotal role in the well-being and autonomy of older individuals. Discovering new predictors of functional decline is a pressing concern, with loneliness emerging as an unconventional risk factor for chronic diseases. However, its role in functional limitations remains poorly understood. Hypothesis: Loneliness is an independent predictor of limitations in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental ADLs (IADLs) among individuals aged 80 or older. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from Wave 8 of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), spanning 28 European countries, for participants aged 80 and above, excluding residents in long-term care institutions. Loneliness was assessed using a reduced version of the R-UCLA Loneliness Scale, including measures of companionship, feeling left out, and isolation on a 3-point Likert scale ("often," "some of the time," "hardly ever or never"). Participants scoring 4 to 9 were categorized as lonely. The outcome was defined as the presence of limitations in one or more of the six ADLs and/or the nine IADLs. Logistic regression models were employed to control for potential confounding factors. Multivariate analysis included covariates with p<0.200 and no multicollinearity. Model quality was evaluated using the area under the ROC curve, and the significance level was set at 5%. The analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS, version 28.0. Results: The study included 7,434 individuals, with 58.2% (n=4,323) being female and a mean age of 84.4 (±3.8) for both genders. A majority of participants (52.5%, n=3,879) had low levels of education (ISCED-97 from 0 to 2). Comorbidities included cardiovascular disease (22%, n=1,634), stroke (7%, n=523), diabetes mellitus (17.2%, n=1,281), cancer (6.6%, n=494), and obesity (16.8%, n=1,180). In the univariate analysis, older adults classified as lonely exhibited an odds ratio (OR) of 2.213 (95% CI: 2.016 - 2.428) for presenting limitations in one or more ADLs/IADLs. The multiple model showed an OR of 1.472 (95% CI: 1.313 - 1.649) for having one or more ADLs/IADLs limitations in the presence of loneliness. This association remained significant even after adjusting for confounders (age, gender, education, chronic diseases, hip fracture, pain and European region). The AUC was 76,4%. Conclusions: Our study reveals an independent link between loneliness and limitations in ADLs and IADLs among individuals aged 80 or older from the SHARE dataset. These findings lend support to interventions aimed at preventing loneliness and preserving functionality in this age group.