Key result
Higher levels of loneliness, greater social isolation, and less social support were significantly associated with metabolic syndrome in a rural Spanish population.
Why the study?
The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a Spanish rural population and assess differences according to loneliness, social isolation, and social support.
Are loneliness, social isolation, and lack of social support associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a rural population?
Cross-Sectional (n=310)
Are loneliness, social isolation, and lack of social support associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a rural population?
Social isolation and loneliness are significantly associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and elevated systolic blood pressure in rural populations, highlighting the need for socially targeted prevention programs.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
MetS was associated with greater loneliness and isolation in this rural cohort; leaves open whether social interventions alter MetS risk.
The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a Spanish rural population and assess differences in prevalence according to loneliness level, social isolation, and social support. This is a cross-sectional study of 310 patients. MetS was defined by National Cholesterol Education Program-Third Adult Treatment Panel. The UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Loneliness Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Social Support, and Lubben Social Network Scale were used to assess loneliness, perceived social support, and social isolation. Almost half of the participants fulfilled MetS diagnosis criteria. Subjects with MetS showed significantly higher levels of loneliness, less social support, and greater social isolation. Systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in socially isolated rural adults. Environmental factors may play a key role in the prevalence of MetS, so specific screening and prevention programs could help health professionals prevent the increasing rates of MetS in rural populations under these socially specific conditions of vulnerability.
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DelOlmo-Romero et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Metabolic syndrome (n=310). Loneliness, social isolation, and social support was evaluated on Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its association with loneliness, social isolation, and social support. Higher levels of loneliness, greater social isolation, and less social support were significantly associated with metabolic syndrome in a rural Spanish population.
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