Loneliness in Old Age, the Related Factors, and Its Association with Demographics and Districts of Residence

Abstract

Loneliness among older people has now become a serious public health issue. There have been few previous studies conducted among Chinese populations on the correlations between loneliness, self-rated health, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and their association with demographic characteristics. In this study, data were collected using quota sampling through survey interviews. Older people living in representative districts were recruited. Of the participants, 60.1% rated their health as average and 58.1% showed a high level of loneliness. IADL and self-rated health (SRH) were found to be moderately positively correlated, with r = 0.357, p < 0.001. A low negative correlation was found between the level of loneliness and IADL, with r = −0.276; and SRH, with r = −0.288, p < 0.05. Ordinal Regression results showed that subjects with higher IADL scores (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.39–1.05) were less lonely, while those with a less desirable economic status (OR: 3.34, 95% CI: 1.40–7.96) and living in the central business district were more likely to have a higher loneliness score (OR: 21.33, 95% CI: 4.81–95.41). It is essential to screen for loneliness, and interventions should be focused on improving social connections and support for older people to overcome their feelings of loneliness.