Social relations and health in older people in Spain using SHARE survey data

Introduction Social relationships (SR) are an important aspect in the healthy ageing process. The study aimed to describe SR in over-50s in Spain and analyse their association with physical/emotional, functional and cognitive/sensory health variables. Methods The study sample was formed by 5583 people representing the Spanish population aged 50 and over, who participated in the sixth wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The variables were divided into socio-demographic aspects and economic, health and SR aspects represented by the number of friends, family members and satisfaction with social network and the Revised UCLA loneliness scale. The health variables were grouped using a main component analysis. Multiple linear regressions were performed between the health components with socio-demographic and SR variables. Results 67.26% of respondents said they did not feel lonely. The feeling of loneliness was the variable most closely related to the physical and emotional, functional and cognitive and sensory health components. The main SR variable associated to health components was the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (standardised beta, p < 0.001; p < 0.001; and p < 0.001, respectively). The number of family members in social network SR variable was also associated with the physical/emotional health (beta = 0.09, p < 0.001) and cognitive/sensory ability (beta = 0.10, p = 0.001) components. Conclusions The main SR aspect that impacts health status was loneliness. The results of this study suggest the importance of developing public health policies oriented to promoting action on the SR characteristics that enhance older people's health.

Automated summary

This study examined social relationships and their association with health variables among individuals aged 50 and over in Spain. The results showed that loneliness was the main social aspect that impacted health status. The findings suggest the importance of developing public health policies focused on enhancing social characteristics that promote the health of older people.