What are the health related consequences of loneliness and social isolation in people with type 2 diabetes? A prospective cohort using Danish population-based data

Background:
In recent years, loneliness and social isolation have become major public health concerns due to the growing evidence of their association with adverse health. Several pathways underlying the associations of loneliness and social isolation with adverse health have been suggested. Studies have found that perceived stress, depressive symptoms and adverse health behaviours such as unhealthy dietary habits, higher alcohol intake and sleep problems partly explain the association between loneliness, social isolation and adverse health. Therefore, loneliness and social isolation may directly impact individual health and influence both psychological and behavioural factors that increase the risk of comorbid conditions and complications.
Overall, people with T2D who are exposed to loneliness and social isolation may constitute at-risk groups.
However, our knowledge about the exact effects of loneliness and social isolation on prognosis, long-term
complications and use of healthcare services in this target group is limited.
Purpose:
This PhD project aims to investigate the health-related long term consequences of loneliness and social
isolation in people with T2D. Specifically, we hypothesize that people with T2D, who are lonely and/or socially isolated, have:
i. increased risk of developing diabetes complications and comorbid conditions
ii. increased risk of mortality
iii. increased use of prescription medication
iv. increased healthcare utilization
Design:
The PhD project is based on a prospective cohort design in which participants from the Danish National Health Survey 2017 are followed in Danish registers over a 5-year period. The survey will be linked with individual-level registers to identify people with T2D. Exposure to loneliness and social isolation derives from survey baseline characteristics. The associated risk of loneliness and social isolation with morbidity, mortality and healthcare utilization in people with T2D will be investigated through four longitudinal studies.

Institution of primary responsibility: DEFACTUM - Public Health Research, Central Denmark Region, Aarhus and Department of Public Health, Aarhus University.

Contact person: Martin Mejlby Jensen, PhD student, DEFACTUM - Public Health Research, Central Denmark Region, Aarhus (mail: [email protected])
Collaborators: DEFACTUM - Public Health Research, Central Denmark Region, Aarhus; Department of Public Health, Aarhus University ; Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark ; Research unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Odense University hospital

Status: Active
Effective start/end date: 01.04.2023 –> 30.09.2026