Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology.
Research Team for Human Care, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology.
J Epidemiol. 2021 Apr 5;31(4):297-300. doi: 10.2188/jea.JE20190217. Epub 2020 Apr 18.
Eating alone is associated with an increased risk of depression symptoms. This association may be confounded by poor social networks. The present study aimed to determine the role of poor social networks in the association of eating alone with depression symptoms, focusing on cohabitation status.
Seven hundred and ten community-dwelling older adults were categorized according to their eating style and social network size, evaluated using an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale, with poor social network size (defined as the lowest quartile). Living arrangements and depression symptoms, detected using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, were also assessed.
A mixed-design two-way analysis of covariance (eating style and social network size factors) for the depression scale score, adjusted by covariates, yielded significant effects of social network size and eating style without interaction. Greater depression scores were observed in eating alone and poor social network size. Analysis of participants living with others showed the same results. However, among older adults living alone, only a significant main effect of social network size was observed; poor social network size resulted in greater depression scores irrespective of eating style.
Poor social network size, and not eating alone, was associated with greater depression symptoms among older adults living alone, whereas both factors may increase depression symptoms among older adults living with others. Poor social network size may show a stronger influence on depression than eating alone in older adults living alone; thus, social network size is an important health indicator.
独自进食与抑郁症状风险增加有关。这种关联可能因社交网络不佳而复杂化。本研究旨在确定社交网络不佳在独自进食与抑郁症状关联中的作用，重点关注同居状况。
根据饮食方式和社交网络规模的缩写版卢本社交网络量表，将 710 名居住在社区的老年人分为不同类别，社交网络规模较差（定义为最低四分位数）。还评估了生活安排和抑郁症状，使用zung 自评抑郁量表进行检测。
对抑郁量表评分进行了混合设计双向协方差分析（饮食方式和社交网络规模因素），调整了协变量，结果显示社交网络规模和饮食方式均有显著影响，且无交互作用。独自进食和社交网络规模较差的抑郁评分较高。对与他人同住的参与者进行分析也得到了相同的结果。然而，在独居的老年人中，仅观察到社交网络规模的显著主效应；社交网络规模较差会导致抑郁评分增加，而不论饮食方式如何。
社交网络规模较差与独居老年人的抑郁症状更严重相关，而不是独自进食，而这两个因素都可能增加与他人同住的老年人的抑郁症状。社交网络规模对独居老年人的抑郁影响可能比独自进食更大；因此，社交网络规模是一个重要的健康指标。
