National Reports
- Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community (2023)
- Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System (2020) (Download Free PDF)
Social Isolation and Loneliness: Metrics and Methods
- The Foundation for Social Connection's Social Connection Measurement Tools Inventory includes a wide range of tools available to measure social connection, social isolation, and loneliness. To discuss measurement-related questions about your work, email Coalition for Social Connection Director Nandini Singh at [email protected] to set up a time to speak.
Social Connection and Aging Lab papers highlighting different methods:
- The epidemiology of social isolation and loneliness among older adults during the last years of life Kotwal AA, Cenzer IS, Waite LJ, Covinsky KE, Perissinotto CM, Boscardin WJ, Hawkley LC, Dale W, Smith AK. The epidemiology of social isolation and loneliness among older adults during the last years of life. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Nov;69(11):3081-3091. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17366. Epub 2021 Jul 11. PMID: 34247388; PMCID: PMC8595510.
- A single question assessment of loneliness in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationally-representative study Kotwal AA, Cenzer IS, Waite LJ, Smith AK, Perissinotto CM, Hawkley LC. A single question assessment of loneliness in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationally-representative study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022 May;70(5):1342-1345. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17700. Epub 2022 Feb 12. PMID: 35141875; PMCID: PMC9106870.
- Living Alone, Socially Isolated or Lonely—What are We Measuring? Perissinotto CM, Covinsky KE. Living alone, socially isolated or lonely--what are we measuring? J Gen Intern Med. 2014 Nov;29(11):1429-31. doi: 10.1007/s11606-014-2977-8. PMID: 25092012; PMCID: PMC4238196.
- A Practical Approach to Assessing and Mitigating Loneliness and Isolation in Older Adults Perissinotto C, Holt-Lunstad J, Periyakoil VS, Covinsky K. A Practical Approach to Assessing and Mitigating Loneliness and Isolation in Older Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019 Apr;67(4):657-662. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15746. Epub 2019 Feb 14. PMID: 30762228.
- Social Isolation and Loneliness as Medical Issues Holt-Lunstad J, Perissinotto C. Social Isolation and Loneliness as Medical Issues. N Engl J Med. 2023 Jan 19;388(3):193-195. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2208029. Epub 2023 Jan 14. PMID: 36648080.
- Social Isolation and Loneliness Among San Francisco Bay Area Older Adults During the COVID‐19 Shelter‐in‐Place Orders Kotwal AA, Holt-Lunstad J, Newmark RL, Cenzer I, Smith AK, Covinsky KE, Escueta DP, Lee JM, Perissinotto CM. Social Isolation and Loneliness Among San Francisco Bay Area Older Adults During the COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Orders. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Jan;69(1):20-29. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16865. Epub 2020 Oct 9. PMID: 32965024; PMCID: PMC7536935.
Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Adults
- Loneliness in older persons: a predictor of functional decline and death Perissinotto CM, Stijacic Cenzer I, Covinsky KE. Loneliness in older persons: a predictor of functional decline and death. Arch Intern Med. 2012 Jul 23;172(14):1078-83. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2012.1993. PMID: 22710744; PMCID: PMC4383762.
- The epidemiology of social isolation and loneliness among older adults during the last years of life Kotwal AA, Cenzer IS, Waite LJ, Covinsky KE, Perissinotto CM, Boscardin WJ, Hawkley LC, Dale W, Smith AK. The epidemiology of social isolation and loneliness among older adults during the last years of life. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Nov;69(11):3081-3091. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17366. Epub 2021 Jul 11. PMID: 34247388; PMCID: PMC8595510.
- A Practical Approach to Assessing and Mitigating Loneliness and Isolation in Older Adults Perissinotto C, Holt-Lunstad J, Periyakoil VS, Covinsky K. A Practical Approach to Assessing and Mitigating Loneliness and Isolation in Older Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019 Apr;67(4):657-662. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15746. Epub 2019 Feb 14. PMID: 30762228.
- Loneliness in Older Adults Living with HIV Greene M, Hessol NA, Perissinotto C, Zepf R, Hutton Parrott A, Foreman C, Whirry R, Gandhi M, John M. Loneliness in Older Adults Living with HIV. AIDS Behav. 2018 May;22(5):1475-1484. doi: 10.1007/s10461-017-1985-1. PMID: 29151199; PMCID: PMC6756479.
- Social Isolation and Loneliness as Medical Issues Holt-Lunstad J, Perissinotto C. Social Isolation and Loneliness as Medical Issues. N Engl J Med. 2023 Jan 19;388(3):193-195. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2208029. Epub 2023 Jan 14. PMID: 36648080.
Social Isolation and Loneliness and COVID-19
- Social Isolation and Loneliness Among San Francisco Bay Area Older Adults During the COVID‐19 Shelter‐in‐Place Orders Kotwal AA, Holt-Lunstad J, Newmark RL, Cenzer I, Smith AK, Covinsky KE, Escueta DP, Lee JM, Perissinotto CM. Social Isolation and Loneliness Among San Francisco Bay Area Older Adults During the COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Orders. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Jan;69(1):20-29. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16865. Epub 2020 Oct 9. PMID: 32965024; PMCID: PMC7536935.
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Multi-Country Study O'Sullivan R, Burns A, Leavey G, Leroi I, Burholt V, Lubben J, Holt-Lunstad J, Victor C, Lawlor B, Vilar-Compte M, Perissinotto CM, Tully MA, Sullivan MP, Rosato M, Power JM, Tiilikainen E, Prohaska TR. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Multi-Country Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 23;18(19):9982. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18199982. PMID: 34639283; PMCID: PMC8508181.
Social Connection
- Social Connection as a Public Health Issue: The Evidence and a Systemic Framework for Prioritizing the "Social" in Social Determinants of Health Holt-Lunstad J. Social Connection as a Public Health Issue: The Evidence and a Systemic Framework for Prioritizing the "Social" in Social Determinants of Health. Annu Rev Public Health. 2022 Apr 5;43:193-213. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052020-110732. Epub 2022 Jan 12. PMID: 35021021.
- Advancing Social Connection as a Public Health Priority in the United States Holt-Lunstad J, Robles TF, Sbarra DA. Advancing social connection as a public health priority in the United States. Am Psychol. 2017 Sep;72(6):517-530. doi: 10.1037/amp0000103. PMID: 28880099; PMCID: PMC5598785.
Evidence-Based Programming
- Key Elements and Mechanisms of a Peer-Support Intervention to Reduce Loneliness and Isolation among Low-Income Older Adults: A Qualitative Implementation Science Study Fuller, S. M., Kotwal, A. A., Tha, S. H., Hill, D., Perissinotto, C., & Myers, J. J. (2022). Key Elements and Mechanisms of a Peer-Support Intervention to Reduce Loneliness and Isolation among Low-Income Older Adults: A Qualitative Implementation Science Study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 41(12), 2574-2582. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648221120458
- Hough, K. A., Tha, S. H., Perissinotto, C. M., Burnes, P., & Kotwal, A. A. (2024). A proactive phone intervention for older adults to address loneliness identified by a health plan. Ann NY Acad Sci., 1540, 191–199. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15223
Social Prescribing
Organizations, Educational Resources, and Toolkits
- Coalition to End Social Isolation & Loneliness (CESIL)
- Foundation for Social Connection
- Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection (GILC)
- WHO Commission on Social Connection
- California Department of Aging
Educational Resources and Toolkits
- The Care and Wellbeing Center Learning Collaborative Archive
- Action Guide for Building Socially Connected Communities (from the Foundation for Social Connection)
- The Systems Approach of Cross-sector Integration and Action across the Lifespan (SOCIAL) Framework (from the Foundation for Social Connection)
- Social Connection Measurement Tools Inventory (from the Foundation for Social Connection)
- California Department on Aging: Aging Resources