Impact of a Community-based Intervention Addressing Loneliness and Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among Seniors

Objectives: Addressing health behaviors and loneliness, social and behavioral drivers of health (SBDoH), through a culturally competent community-based peer support intervention may be effective in improving self-reported outcomes for seniors. We evaluated whether such an intervention improves loneliness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: We carried out a cohort study following Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees of a health plan in Georgia between January and December 2021, collecting 6-month patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) on loneliness and healthy days for recipients of a community-based intervention, Connect for Life (CFL), versus controls. Logistic regression estimated the odds of transitioning from lonely to not lonely and having at least a 15% improvement in self-reported healthy days, adjusting for baseline characteristics. Results: Compared to controls (N=254), intervention participants (N=711) had statistically significant increases in transitioning from lonely to not lonely (OR = 3.77, 95% CI [3.52-4.09]) and having a 15% improvement in healthy days (OR = 2.04, 95% CI [1.87-2.21]). Conclusions: A community-based program using a hyperlocal, culturally competent intervention may be an effective at improving loneliness and perception of health in the MA population. Given the link between loneliness and healthcare costs, studies of financial impact of loneliness interventions would be valuable.