Social disconnectedness co-exists with health literacy and treatment burden in individuals with CVD

Abstract

Abstract Background Social disconnectedness (e.g., loneliness and social isolation) is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, loneliness and social isolation do not merely increase the risk of incident CVD; rather, they seem to also aggravate the course of disease. Low health literacy and patient-perceived treatment burden are common among individuals with CVD, and may further impact health outcomes. Understanding the potential mechanisms linking social disconnectedness with CVD and disease prognosis is crucial for clinical practice. However, research investigating the associations between social disconnectedness, health literacy, and treatment burden in individuals with chronic disease remains sparse despite its apparent relevance. Methods This study used cross-sectional self-reported data from the 2017 Danish National Health Survey entitled ‘How are you?', investigating the associations of loneliness and social isolation with low health literacy and high treatment burden in individuals with CVD (n = 2,521; mean age = 65.7 years). Results Logistic regression analysis showed that loneliness and social isolation were associated with increased odds of low health literacy in terms of difficulties with ‘understanding health information’ and ‘engaging with healthcare providers'. Likewise, loneliness and social isolation were associated with high treatment burden. Conclusions Our findings showed that loneliness and social isolation coexist with low health literacy and high treatment burden in individuals with CVD. This is of concern as socially disconnected individuals already experience more health issues, and these factors could worsen their condition. Our findings underscore the importance of interventions in clinical care that counter social disconnectedness while considering the individual's health literacy and treatment burden. Key messages • Social disconnectedness coexists with low health literacy and high treatment burden in individuals with CVD. This reflects a potential accumulation of risk factors. • The coexistence of social disconnectedness with low health literacy and high treatment burden highlight the need for efforts addressing social connections in the context of patient care.