Characterizing Loneliness and Health in US Adults: An analysis of 2024 National Health Interview Survey
Dildine, T. C.; Burke, C.; Kapos, F. P.
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BackgroundLoneliness is common and deleterious to health. Yet little is known about its population burden and health correlates in the US. We aimed to determine the prevalence of loneliness and characterize its health and social functioning correlates among US adults. MethodsWith data from the National Health Interview Study (2024), we used survey-weighted Poisson regression to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for frequent loneliness by levels of self-reported general health, social/emotional support, social functioning, and healthcare utilization, adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, number of people in household, marital status, and psychological distress. Results12 million US adults reported usually or always feeling lonely, which was associated with worse general health and social/emotional support, work and social participation limitations, and healthcare disengagement. ConclusionsLoneliness affects millions of US adults, with substantial health and social functioning burden.
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