Differences in social isolation between young and old elderly in urban areas of Beijing, China: A cross-sectional study.
Fan Wu, Yu Sheng
PMID 32099859WHAT IT FOUND
Social isolation was reported in 24.4% of young elderly and 33.1% of old elderly in urban Beijing.
Friend support was the only support source associated with less social isolation in the old elderly.
Key findings
01485 older adults completed the survey, and social isolation was reported in 24.4% of the young elderly and 33.1% of the old elderly (P = 0.048).
02Among the young elderly, the reported odds ratios were 0.93 for friend support, 0.95 for neighbor support, and 0.96 for family support.
03Among the old elderly, only friend support was reported with an odds ratio of 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82-0.92).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that friend support caused less social isolation. It included only older adults from four urban districts in Beijing, so it may not apply to rural areas or other parts of China. People with terminal illness, severe cognitive dysfunction, or disability were excluded, so it says little about those groups. The number of old elderly participants is not consistent across the paper.
Declared interests
No funding was reported, and the authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower odds ratios for friend support as proof that making more friends will reduce social isolation. This was a cross-sectional survey, so it can show associations only.