Designing Intersectoral Environments to Address Isolation/Loneliness as a Risk Factor for Dementia: A Mixed Methods Health Promotion Program

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundIntersectoral partnerships are critical for effective and sustainable health promotion programs. The aim of our Public Health Agency of Canada Dementia Community Investment project, What Connects Us∼Ce Qui Nous Lie (2020‐2023) was to collaboratively cultivate sociocultural environments worth living in using shared activities and events. In this paper, we present initial results on the effectiveness of using shared activities and events to link academic, arts/culture, mental health, and community‐based organizations and generate a sustainable web of resources for, while positively impacting on, the quality of life and connectivity as a protective factor for persons living with Alzheimer’s and related disorders (PLWA) and their carers.MethodWe used a mixed methods ethnographic approach to describe and measure the impact of shared activities and events on the intersectoral networks by fielding pre‐/post‐partner social network surveys distributed across four social sectors using standard intersectoral network metrics such as density, clustering, centralization, and average path length; as well as measures of centrality and bridging among partners. We measured the impact of this intervention se with pre‐/post‐activity participant surveys using the UCLA Loneliness scale and the CDC health quality of life instrument. All partners and participants answered demographic questions.ResultNetwork measures showed an increase from the initial number of organizations who submitted letters of support for the project (N = 16), as well as increases in network density at the intersectoral level. Patterns of centrality and bridging in the partner data are still emerging, with arts/cultural organizations being the most engaged in facilitating activities and events. For the participants in activities who completed surveys, emerging data demonstrate that those who participated in multiple activities had lower loneliness scores (N = 117 of the 370). Descriptions of context across the project support its upscaling, including the mechanisms that supported the continued growth in number, variety, and modifications of activities despite the impact of Covid‐19 on social distancing.ConclusionCommunity‐based efforts to create environments to reduce loneliness are possible but require effort to create sustainable intersectoral networks amidst structural and other leadership changes.