Prevalence Rates of Loneliness and Its Impact on Lifestyle in the Healthy Population of Madrid, Spain.

Daniel Cuesta-Lozano,Montserrat García-Sastre,Leticia Carmen Simón-López,Daniel Bonito-Samino,Rubén Mirón-González,Ángel L Asenjo-Esteve

doi:10.3390/ijerph17145121

Daniel Cuesta-Lozano, Montserrat García-Sastre + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145121

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Abstract

Background: The Spanish population presents higher levels of loneliness than citizens of countries in Northern Europe. Numerous studies have linked loneliness to increased morbidity and mortality, but very few studies have associated loneliness with healthy lifestyles. The objectives of this research are to identify the feeling of unwanted loneliness in various age and gender groups in the city of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain), to determine lifestyle habits in the areas of diet and physical exercise, and to examine the association between lifestyle habits and perceived loneliness. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational and analytical study on the perception of loneliness among men (59.06%) and women (60.06%) in a sample (n = 611) of the general population (N = 198,945), by means of random assignment of a health survey, was conducted. The data were collected using an ad hoc questionnaire. The data were stratified and analyzed with the IBM SSPS® v.25 software package. Results: The frequency of loneliness is stratified by sex and age, and healthy lifestyle habits in terms of diet and physical exercise are analyzed. Conclusions: People with perceived loneliness do not have worse lifestyle habits. However, women living with other people have a higher perception of loneliness than those living alone. Specifically, the perception of loneliness in young adult women could suggest a low level of moderate physical exercise.

Highlights

Weiss [1] defines loneliness as a natural phenomenon—a personal feeling that arises at certain times of life and can affect any human being, regardless of gender, age, or other sociodemographic characteristics
From the perspective of lifestyle and loneliness, we rarely find studies that relate loneliness with lifestyle factors such as sleep [15], physical exercise [16], or nutrition [17]
No association between loneliness and the individual’s age or sex was found in this study. This result may be due to the absence of an analysis of social factors due to heterogeneity [1], and it is inconsistent with the majority of observational studies, which report a significant association between increased loneliness and age among individuals aged 18–49 years and over 50 years [7]

Summary

Introduction

Weiss [1] defines loneliness as a natural phenomenon—a personal feeling that arises at certain times of life and can affect any human being, regardless of gender, age, or other sociodemographic characteristics. We can find different authors who use the concepts of loneliness and social isolation interchangeably. Women have higher levels of loneliness than men, and it affects young people (15–29 years), seniors (>60 years), and middle-aged adults (30–59 years) [3]. In Spain, loneliness is proportionally higher among senior citizens (>65 years), in absolute terms, it affects the population aged between 16 and 64 years old to a greater extent, and between. The objectives of this research are to identify the feeling of unwanted loneliness in various age and gender groups in the city of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain), to determine lifestyle habits in the areas of diet and physical exercise, and to examine the association between lifestyle habits and perceived loneliness

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Discussion

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