Association Between Living Alone, Social Interactions, and Physical Performance

Social interactions appear to contribute to improved functional recovery for both men and women following hip fracture surgery.

Lack of social interaction may be an important component of social frailty for both men and women. Social frailty represents a spectrum of being at risk of losing, or having lost, resources to fulfill basic social needs. It can comprise not only the absence of close family members, such as children or spouse, but also the absence of social activities, relationships with others, social participation, and self-management abilities.

This study aimed to assess the longitudinal association between living alone, social interactions, and physical performance over 1 year after a hip fracture, and whether these associations differ significantly by gender. This prospective cohort study is part of the Baltimore Hip Studies seventh cohort (BHS-7). From the 339 participants assessed at baseline, 271 were followed in the 2-month visit, 207 in the 6-month visit, and 190 in the 12 month-visit. 

The results of the study suggest that:

• Having more social interactions over the last 2 weeks was associated with better physical performance for both men and women.
• Living alone had different associations with physical performance after hip fracture among men and women. For male survivors, it was associated with worse SPPB scores over one year after the fracture, but this relationship was not observed for women.
• Visiting with friends was significantly associated with better function among males, while visiting with children or siblings was associated with worse SPPB among females.

According to the authors: ‘These results highlight the importance of considering the gender when analyzing associations between social factors and physical function. Screening for social isolation/integration and including interventions that promote social interaction and participation should be considered in healthcare programs for hip fracture survivors.’

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