Social connection remains an overlooked health factor, research shows

Social connection remains an overlooked health factor, research shows

Research confirms that social isolation and loneliness significantly impact health and mortality, even when they are not listed on death certificates. BYU psychology and neuroscience professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad has published extensively on the topic, including a landmark 2010 meta-analysis and a 2023 framework on assessment and treatment. She also served as chief scientist for the 2023 General Adviser and is advising the World Health Organization on an upcoming report addressing the urgent health threat of loneliness and isolation and a global agenda for social connection.

Social connection is now a legitimate determinant of health, but Holt-Lunstad and graduate student Andrew Proctor recently published two studies showing that most U.S. and medical providers do not believe social connection affects physical health. And even the professionals who recognize the importance report that they have no time or tools to help patients address social concerns.

Proctor, who authored a recently published study inSpringer nature,Explained that before the study, they had observed how the pandemic affected internet searches about the topics of isolation and loneliness.

“I have a marketing background, so I thought public perception may have changed since Covid.

Researchers have set up a study using the loneliness and isolation trend on the internet. In a nationally representative sample of US adults, as well as samples from the UK and Australia, they surveyed 2,392 people about their perceptions of health risks associated with isolation and loneliness. The data showed that despite the pandemic and other campaigns, people still underestimate the importance of social connection for physical health. And the underestimation exists equally among the lonely and the socially connected.

The study identified blind spots in medical care. Social connection is like an important sign. What if we didn't care about high blood pressure? Or what if we never knew that smoking was bad for us? Social connection is like an important vital sign. We just don't tend to recognize it. “

Andrew Proctor, PhD Candidate, Brigham Young University

In a closely related study, Holt-Lunstad and Proctor, along with coauthors of top research physicians, surveyed 681 health care providers (mostly physicians) about perceptions of health risks associated with poor social connection. Similar to the general population from the first study, healthcare providers underestimated social connection as a medically relevant health factor.

The researchers discovered some unexpected findings due to an unintentional time delay in data collection in the second study.

"We completed data collection at two different time points because we were awaiting institutional approvals. Our first cohort was healthcare providers through the University of Utah Health System. A little later, we had a second large cohort of University of California San Francisco (UCSF) physicists," Holt-Lungad said. “What was interesting was that the perceived importance of social factors was slightly higher in the UCSF group.”

The authors attribute the increased awareness at UCSF to the university's research and evaluation network as well as the release of the 2023 Surgeon General's Advisor, which came out just before the second cohort was surveyed. This suggests that both social initiatives and institutional support make a difference in the perceived importance of social connection.

"I hope that these studies can advance the recognition that there is a body of evidence that supports social connection as medically relevant," Holt-Lunstad said. “Together, these papers make a really compelling case that not only is the public underestimating this, but so are healthcare providers who should know this information.”

“Awareness can make a difference,” says Holt-Lunstad. “It is the first step, but awareness is not enough.”

The research highlights the need for education and strategies for healthcare providers, as well as the need for a revamped K-12 healthcare healthcare and public health campaigns. Future research includes how to address perceived barriers to integrated medical care and actionable strategies such as “social prescribing.”

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