Obesity and loneliness. Findings from a longitudinal population‐based study in the second half of life in Germany

Abstract

Aim:Little is known about whether changes to obesity are associated with changes in loneliness scores. Therefore, using a longitudinal approach, we aimed to determine whether the onset of obesity (explanatory variable) is associated with changes in loneliness (outcome measure) among older adults.Methods: For the present study, data from wave 2 (2002) to wave 5 (2014) of the German Ageing Survey were analyzed. This is a representative sample of community-dwelling individuals in Germany (≥40 years). A validated six-item scale by Gierveld and van Tilburg was used to quantify loneliness. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 . Fixed effects regressions were used. Results: Fixed effects regressions showed that loneliness increased with the onset of obesity among men but not among women. The sex × obesity interaction term was significant (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Findings stress the importance of the onset of obesity for loneliness among older men. Weight management strategies might also be a promising strategy to reduce loneliness scores.

The Association Between Obesity and Social Isolation as Well as Loneliness in the Adult Population: A Systematic Review

“… 25 In total, n=6 studies were included in the final synthesis of our current systematic review. 8 , 16–19 , 21 Key characteristics and main findings are displayed in Table 2 . Adjusted results (if reported) are shown in Table 2 .…”

“… Hajek (2018) 21 Germany BMI > 30 kg/m 2 scale generated by Bude and Lantermann (four items) cross-sectional German Ageing Survey n=7838 M=64.4 SD=11.2 range not specified 51.0% As linear regression revealed, obesity was related to social exclusion only among women (ß=−0.1, p<0.05). Hajek (2019) 8 Germany BMI > 30 kg/m 2 Loneliness scale developed by Gierveld and van Tilburg (six items) Longitudinal (four waves, 2002–2014) German Ageing Survey n=21,099 M=63.4 SD=11.5 range not specified 49.2% Regarding fixed-effects regression, obesity was positively associated with loneliness among men (ß=0.1, p<0.05), but not among women. Rotenberg (2017) 18 United Kingdom BMI > 30 kg/m 2 UCLA-R Loneliness Scale (20 items) Cross-sectional Undergraduates from a mid-size university n=137 M=21.8 SD=4.7 18–57 58.4% An ANOVA revealed that obesity was associated with increased levels of loneliness (p<0.001).…”

“…Hajek (2018): 21 adjusting for age, family status, monthly net equivalent income, smoking status, alcohol consumption, frequency of sports activities, self-rated health and chronic diseases. Hajek (2019): 8 adjusting for age, employment status, family status, frequency of sports activities, depressive symptoms, and number of chronic diseases. Rotenberg (2017): 18 no further adjustments Sarlio-Lähteenkorva (1999): 19 adjusting for employment status, income, marital status and close friends.…”

Ageing, Social Distancing, and COVID-19 Risk: Who is more Vulnerable?

“…In addition to cultural measures, the individual's past experiences and even that from previous generations may generate complex interaction and synergies with the biological ageing process and social life (Ambeskovic et al, 2020;Brown et al, 2017;Faraji et al, 2017a). Also, this relationship is strongly influenced by pre-existing health conditions, gender, personality and culture (Hajek and König, 2019;Ormstad et al, 2020;Ward et al, 2018).…”

Prevalence Of, and Factors Associated with, Obesity among the Oldest Old. A Study Protocol for a Systematic Review

“…Excess weight (overweight and obesity) is an important risk factor for various chronic conditions [1]. Moreover, it is, among other things, associated with loneliness [2], poorer mental health [3], sickness absence (sick leave days and long-term absenteeism) [4], and increased health care use or costs [5]. In many countries prevalence rates of obesity are quite high [6].…”