Yu Kexin, Wu Chao-Yi, Barnes Lisa L, Silbert Lisa C, Beattie Zachary, Croff Raina, Miller Lyndsey, Dodge Hiroko H, Kaye Jeffrey A
Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
NIA-Layton Aging & Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2025 Apr;73(4):1125-1134. doi: 10.1111/jgs.19331. Epub 2024 Dec 31.
Life-space mobility can be a behavioral indicator of loneliness. This study examined the association between life-space mobility measured with motion sensors and weekly vs. annually reported loneliness.
Participants were older adults who lived alone. Passive infrared motion sensors were placed in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and living room. Time spent in each room and out-of-home across the day was derived and used as the measure of life-space mobility. Participants reported via weekly questionnaires whether they felt lonely. In annual visits, the UCLA loneliness scale was administered to a subsample (n = 71), and the scores were categorized into high, moderate, and low groups. We used generalized estimating equations (GEE) to correlate life-space mobility with weekly and yearly loneliness. Repeated observations from each individual were bootstrapped for 1000 rounds to associate annual and weekly loneliness measures.
We analyzed 4995 weeks of data from 139 participants (age = 78.1 ± 8.6, 74% female, 23% African Americans, 14% with MCI diagnosis). An additional hour in the bedroom in the afternoon was associated with a 21.4% increased odds (OR = 1.214, p = 0.049) of experiencing loneliness in the week. An additional hour out-of-home in the morning and in the afternoon was associated with 18.2% (OR = 0.818, p = 0.040) and 15.3% (OR = 0.847, p = 0.018) fewer odds of experiencing weekly loneliness. In the subsample with annual loneliness assessments, an additional hour out-of-home was associated with 38.1% (OR = 0.619, p = 0.006) fewer odds of being in the high UCLA loneliness group. Compared with the low UCLA group, those with high UCLA scores were five times more likely to report loneliness weekly (OR = 5.260, p = 0.0004).
Frequent and objective measurements of mobility combined with self-reported social wellbeing information can offer new insights into the experience of loneliness and provide opportunities for timely interventions.
生活空间移动性可能是孤独感的行为指标。本研究考察了通过运动传感器测量的生活空间移动性与每周和每年报告的孤独感之间的关联。
参与者为独居老年人。在浴室、卧室、厨房和客厅放置被动红外运动传感器。计算出全天在每个房间和户外度过的时间，并将其用作生活空间移动性的衡量指标。参与者通过每周问卷报告他们是否感到孤独。在年度访视中，对一个子样本（n = 71）进行加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独感量表测试，并将得分分为高、中、低三组。我们使用广义估计方程（GEE）将生活空间移动性与每周和每年的孤独感进行关联。对每个个体的重复观察进行1000次自抽样，以关联年度和每周的孤独感测量结果。
我们分析了139名参与者（年龄 = 78.1 ± 8.6，74%为女性，23%为非裔美国人，14%有轻度认知障碍诊断）的4995周数据。下午在卧室多待一小时与当周感到孤独的几率增加21.4%（OR = 1.214，p = 0.049）相关。上午和下午在户外多待一小时分别与当周感到孤独的几率降低18.2%（OR = 0.818，p = 0.040）和15.3%（OR = 0.847，p = 0.018）相关。在进行年度孤独感评估的子样本中，在户外多待一小时与处于加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独感高分组的几率降低38.1%（OR = 0.619，p = 0.006）相关。与加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独感量表低分者相比，高分者每周报告孤独感的可能性高五倍（OR = 5.260，p = 0.0004）。
对移动性进行频繁且客观的测量，并结合自我报告的社会幸福感信息，可以为孤独体验提供新的见解，并为及时干预提供机会。
