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Social isolation linked to type 2 diabetes
A lack of social interaction was associated with previously diagnosed and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, with the risk more than double in women, according to findings recently published in BMC Public Health.
“Most diabetes prevention efforts focus on becoming more physically active or modifying one’s diet, which are hard to achieve. So, we wanted to look for effective, alternative strategies that can be used for interventions,” Stephanie Brinkhues, MSc, PhD candidate, department of medical microbiology, Maastricht University in the Netherlands, said in an interview. “Previous studies typically measured only a single indicator of the social network, like emotional support or living alone. We feel that a total picture of the social network is important, and are the first to assess a broad range of social network characteristics.”
Researchers analyzed a cohort of 2,861 participants from the existing Maastricht Study, and obtained social network characteristics using a questionnaire. Data on these participants’ SF-36 health surveys, hypertension, BMI, diabetes medication use and duration, CVD history, alcohol intake, employment and smoking status, and alcohol consumption were also gathered. The mean age of the participants in the study was 60 years, and 49% were women.
Brinkhues and colleagues found that vs. women with normal glucose metabolism, the absence of social participation was linked to 112% higher odds of a prior type 2 diabetes diagnosis — and 60% higher odds of prediabetes — in women. The absence of social participation was also linked to 42% higher odds of having previously diagnosed type 2 diabetes in men.
In addition, researchers found that each fewer network member reported was linked to 5% higher odds of a prior type 2 diabetes diagnosis in men, 10% higher odds of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes in men, 8% higher odds of a prior type 2 diabetes diagnosis in women, and 12% higher odds of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes in women vs. participants with normal glucose metabolism. Living alone was linked to 94% higher odds of a prior type 2 diabetes diagnosis, 84% higher odds of newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 59% higher odds of prediabetes in men vs. those male participants with normal glucose metabolism. No significant links between living alone and diabetes were seen in women.
Brinkhues explained how primary care physicians can discuss their findings with patients.
“PCPs should encourage their patients to take part in social activities such as joint volunteer groups, and to broaden their network by making new friends,” she told Healio Family Medicine. “Whenever possible, isolated people should be offered opportunities to reach out to others so that they retain active involvement in social life, rather than sitting passively waiting for the doorbell to ring. However, socially isolated people may need encouragement and guidance on how to reach out to others and making new friends.”
Brinkhues added that some of the next steps for this line of research include determining whether social network characteristics can change over time and the links between social networks and diabetes complications. – by Janel Miller
Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.