@article{ref1,
title="Does loneliness have a cost? A population-wide study of the association between loneliness and healthcare expenditure",
journal="International journal of public health",
year="2021",
author="Meisters, Rachelle and Westra, Daan and Putrik, Polina and Bosma, Hans and Ruwaard, Dirk and Jansen, Maria",
volume="66",
number="",
pages="581286-581286",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: Loneliness has been associated with unhealthy behavior, poorer health, and increased morbidity. However, the costs of loneliness are poorly understood. <br><br>METHODS: Multiple sources were combined into a dataset containing a nationally representative sample (n = 341,376) of Dutch adults (18+). The association between loneliness and total, general practitioner (GP), specialized, pharmaceutical, and mental healthcare expenditure was tested using Poisson and Zero-inflated negative binomial models, controlling for numerous potential confounders (i.e., demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle-related factors, self-perceived health, and psychological distress), for four age groups. <br><br>RESULTS: Controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle-related factors, loneliness was indirectly (via poorer health) associated with higher expenditure in all categories. In fully adjusted models, it showed a direct association with higher expenditure for GP and mental healthcare (0.5 and 11.1%, respectively). The association with mental healthcare expenditure was stronger in younger than in older adults (for ages 19-40, the contribution of loneliness represented 61.8% of the overall association). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Loneliness contributes to health expenditure both directly and indirectly, particularly in younger age groups. This implies a strong financial imperative to address this issue.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1661-8556",
doi="10.3389/ijph.2021.581286",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2021.581286"
}