A comparison of health behaviours in lonely and non-lonely populations

Lauder, William; Mummery, Kerry; Jones, Martyn; Caperchione, Cristina

doi:10.1080/13548500500266607

Cited by 349Health disparities and outcomesPhysical Activity and HealthHealth and Lifestyle Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 11 of the 11 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A comparison of health behaviours in lonely and non-lonely populations

Open access

Lauder, William, Mummery, Kerry, Jones, Martyn, Caperchione, Cristina·2006·Psychology, Health & Medicine

DOI 10.1080/13548500500266607

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Loneliness can be defined as perceived social isolation and appears to be a relatively common experience in adults. It carries a significant health risk and has been associated with heart disease, depression and poor recovery after coronary heart surgery. The mechanisms that link loneliness and morbidity are unclear but one of the mechanisms may be through poor health beliefs and behaviours. The aims of this cross-sectional survey of 1289 adults were to investigate differences in health behaviours (smoking, overweight, BMI, sedentary, attitudes towards physical activity) in lonely and non-lonely groups. Lonely individuals were more likely to be smokers and more likely to be overweight - obese. The lonely group had higher body mass index scores controlling for age, annual income, gender, employment and marital status. Logistic regression revealed no differences in sedentary lifestyles. Lonely individuals were significantly less likely to believe it was desirable for them to lose weight by walking for recreation, leisure or transportation. The findings provide support for an association between health behaviours, loneliness and excess morbidity reported in previous studies.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1080/13548500500266607

Cites

11 of 11 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Loneliness is a risk factor for obesity.
“loneliness is also a risk factor for obesity [41]”
From Loneliness matters: a theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms (2010) · cites this paper as [41]

Social exclusion impairs self-regulation
Baumeister, R. F., DeWall, C. N., Ciarocco, N. J., & Twenge, J. M. (2005) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.88.4.589 · Cited by 1,401
THE ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND ACTIVITIES WITH MORTALITY: PROSPECTIVE EVIDENCE FROM THE TECUMSEH COMMUNITY HEALTH STUDY
HOUSE, J. S., ROBBINS, C., & METZNER, H. L. (1982) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113387 · Cited by 1,381
The Development of a Rasch-Type Loneliness Scale
de Jong-Gierveld, J., & Kamphuls, F. (1985) · Applied Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/014662168500900307 · Cited by 1,291
Loneliness and health: potential mechanisms
Cacioppo, J. T., Hawkley, L. C., Crawford, L. E., Ernst, J. M., Burleson, M. H., Kowalewski, R. B., Malarkey, W. B., Van Cauter, E., & Berntson, G. G. (2002) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/00006842-200205000-00005 · Cited by 1,149
A review of loneliness: concept and definitions, determinants and consequences
Gierveld, J. D. J. (1998) · Reviews in Clinical Gerontology · doi:10.1017/s0959259898008090 · Cited by 632
Loneliness and neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and inflammatory stress responses in middle-aged men and women
Steptoe, A., Owen, N., Kunz-Ebrecht, S. R., & Brydon, L. (2004) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/s0306-4530(03)00086-6 · Cited by 620 · cited 7×
“Steptoe et al. (2004) found no association between smoking and loneliness in middle-aged civil servants, although reported smoking rates were relatively low in this unrepresentative sample (9.7%).”
BackgroundInfluential
Loneliness in everyday life: Cardiovascular activity, psychosocial context, and health behaviors.
Hawkley, L. C., Burleson, M. H., Berntson, G. G., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2003) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.85.1.105 · Cited by 608 · cited 3×
“Hawkley, Burleson, Berntson, and Cacioppo ( 2003 ) and Steptoe et al.”
Background
Social Relationships, Gender, and Allostatic Load Across Two Age Cohorts
Seeman, T. E., Singer, B. H., Ryff, C. D., Dienberg Love, G., & Levy-Storms, L. (2002) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/00006842-200205000-00004 · Cited by 496 · cited 1×
“Seeman, Singer, Ryff, Love, and Levy-Storms ( 2002 ) introduce the notion of allostatic load to describe cumulative biological risk over the lifetime of an individual as a consequence of loneliness.”
Background
Loneliness and pathways to disease
Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2003) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/s0889-1591(02)00073-9 · Cited by 446
Effects of Social Support and Personal Coping Resources on Mortality in Older Age: The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam
Penninx, B. W. J. H., van Tilburg, T., Kriegsman, D. M. W., Deeg, D. J. H., Boeke, A. J. P., & van Eijk, J. T. M. (1997) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a009305 · Cited by 438
Beyond bruises and broken bones: The joint effects of stress and injuries on battered women’s health
Sutherland, C. A., Bybee, D. I., & Sullivan, C. M. (2002) · American Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1023/a:1016317130710 · Cited by 154

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 49

ABS . 2002 . National Health Survey 2001 , Canberra : Australian Bureau of Statistics .
Active Australia Survey . 2003 . The Active Australia Survey: A guide and manual for implementation, analysis and reporting , Canberra : Australian Institute of Health and Welfare .
10.1080/1360786031000101193 · DOI · Paper page
10.1016/0895-4356(95)00583-8 · DOI
Australia Institute of Health and Welfare . 2003 . Indicators of health risk factors Canberra The AIHW view. AIHW Cat No. PHE47
10.1046/j.1365-2524.2003.00402.x · DOI
10.1097/00006842-199805000-00015 · DOI
Berkman , L. F. and Glass , T. 2000 . “ Social integration, social networks, and health ” . In Social epidemiology , Edited by: Berkman , L. F. and Kawachi , I. 137 – 173 . New York : Oxford University Press . · DOI · Paper page
10.1093/aje/kwh020 · DOI
10.1016/S0304-3959(00)00355-9 · DOI · Paper page
10.1023/A:1019617921082 · DOI
10.1111/j.1751-9861.2000.tb00063.x · DOI
10.1016/S0140-6736(96)90147-6 · DOI
10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05193.x · DOI · Paper page
10.1016/S0167-8760(99)00049-5 · DOI · Paper page
10.1111/j.0956-7976.2002.00469.x · DOI · Paper page
10.1001/archinte.162.10.1157 · DOI
10.1123/jsep.10.2.127 · DOI
Cattan , M. and Ingold , K. 2003 . Implementing change: The alleviation of social isolation and loneliness among older people in Leeds . Journal of Mental Health Promotion , 2 ( 3 ) : 12 – 19 .
10.1006/pmed.2002.1134 · DOI
10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb05812.x · DOI
10.1037/0278-6133.18.2.131 · DOI
De Jong Gierveld , J. and van Tilburg , T. 1999 . Manual of the Loneliness Scale 1999 http://home.scw.vu.nl/∼tilburg/manual_loneliness_scale_1999.html#appendix1 (accessed 8 April 2004)
10.1016/S0962-1849(99)80008-0 · DOI
10.1037/1089-2699.4.3.230 · DOI
Filate , W. A. , Johansen , H. L. , Kennedy , C. C. and Tu , V. V. 2003 . regional variations in cardiovascular mortality in Canada . Canadian Journal of Cardiology , 19 ( 11 ) : 1241 – 1248 .
10.1188/03.ONF.823-830 · DOI · Paper page
General Household Survey . 2001 . Living in Britain: Results from the 2001 General Household Survey , London : HMSO . National Statistics Publication
10.1080/14034940210164902 · DOI
Heikkinen , R. L. , Berg , S. , Avlund , K. and Timo , T. 2002 . Depressed mood: Changes during a five-year follow-up in 75 year-old men and women in three Nordic localities . Aging-Clinical and Experimental Research , 14 : 16 – 28 .
10.1515/REVEH.1997.12.3.159 · DOI
10.1016/S1078-5884(98)80152-4 · DOI
10.1007/s10380-002-0687-4 · DOI
10.1097/00006842-198401000-00003 · DOI · Paper page
10.1097/00006842-198401000-00004 · DOI · Paper page
10.1016/S0195-668X(02)00467-0 · DOI
10.1080/14622200110050475 · DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2648.2003.02968.x · DOI · Paper page
10.1016/0140-6736(91)93068-K · DOI
10.1001/archinte.153.18.2093 · DOI · Paper page
10.1177/073346489601500102 · DOI
10.1016/S0090-4295(98)00297-0 · DOI
10.1111/j.0954-6820.1988.tb19363.x · DOI
Rejeski , R. J. , Brawley , L. and Ettinger , W. 1997 . Shaping active lifestyle in the elderly Denver, CO Paper presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference
10.1037/0022-3514.48.4.981 · DOI
10.1037/0033-2909.119.3.488 · DOI · Paper page
van Tilburg , T. G. and de Jong Gierveld , J. 1999 . Cesuurbepaling van de eenzaamheidsschaal [Cutting scores on the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale] . Tijdschrift voor Gerontologie en Geriatrie , 30 : 158 – 163 .
10.4065/76.10.1011 · DOI
WHO . 2000 . Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO consultation , Geneva : WHO Technical Report Series 894 .

Sorted by citations

Loneliness matters: a theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms
Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-010-9210-8 · Cited by 4,782
“A related literature shows that loneliness is also a risk factor for obesity [41] and healthcompromising behavior, including a greater propensity to abuse alcohol [42].”
The Stigma of Obesity: A Review and Update
Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A. (2009) · Obesity · doi:10.1038/oby.2008.636 · Cited by 3,323
An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social isolation and loneliness
Leigh-Hunt, N., Bagguley, D., Bash, K., Turner, V., Turnbull, S., Valtorta, N., & Caan, W. (2017) · Public Health · doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2017.07.035 · Cited by 2,158
Perceived social isolation makes me sad: 5-year cross-lagged analyses of loneliness and depressive symptomatology in the chicago health, aging, and social relations study
Cacioppo, J. T., Hawkley, L. C., & Thisted, R. A. (2010) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037/a0017216 · Cited by 1,757
Stress and cardiovascular disease
Steptoe, A., & Kivimäki, M. (2012) · Nature Reviews Cardiology · doi:10.1038/nrcardio.2012.45 · Cited by 1,321
Loneliness: clinical import and interventions
Cacioppo, S., Grippo, A. J., London, S., Goossens, L., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2015) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691615570616 · Cited by 1,206
Loneliness, social isolation, and behavioral and biological health indicators in older adults.
Shankar, A., McMunn, A., Banks, J., & Steptoe, A. (2011) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0022826 · Cited by 1,100
The Prevalence of Loneliness Among Adults: A Case Study of the United Kingdom
Victor, C. R., & Yang, K. (2012) · The Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1080/00223980.2011.613875 · Cited by 746
Correlates and predictors of loneliness in older-adults: a review of quantitative results informed by qualitative insights
Cohen-Mansfield, J., Hazan, H., Lerman, Y., & Shalom, V. (2016) · International Psychogeriatrics · doi:10.1017/s1041610215001532 · Cited by 691
Loneliness, social support networks, mood and wellbeing in community‐dwelling elderly
Golden, J., Conroy, R. M., Bruce, I., Denihan, A., Greene, E., Kirby, M., & Lawlor, B. A. (2009) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.2181 · Cited by 610
Loneliness predicts reduced physical activity: Cross-sectional & longitudinal analyses.
Hawkley, L. C., Thisted, R. A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2009) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0014400 · Cited by 608
“that walking was a desirable way to lose weight ( Lauder et al., 2006 ), although the groups did not differ in”
Background
Lonely young adults in modern Britain: findings from an epidemiological cohort study
Matthews, T., Danese, A., Caspi, A., Fisher, H. L., Goldman-Mellor, S., Kepa, A., Moffitt, T. E., Odgers, C. L., & Arseneault, L. (2019) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291718000788 · Cited by 381
Trajectories of loneliness during childhood and adolescence: Predictors and health outcomes
Qualter, P., Brown, S. L., Rotenberg, K. J., Vanhalst, J., Harris, R. A., Goossens, L., Bangee, M., & Munn, P. (2013) · Journal of Adolescence · doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.01.005 · Cited by 377
Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Health Behaviors at Older Ages: Longitudinal Cohort Study
Kobayashi, L. C., & Steptoe, A. (2018) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1093/abm/kax033 · Cited by 351
A Longitudinal Analysis of Loneliness Among Older People in Great Britain
Victor, C. R., & Bowling, A. (2012) · The Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1080/00223980.2011.609572 · Cited by 322
Perceived social isolation in a community sample: its prevalence and correlates with aspects of peoples’ lives
Hawthorne, G. (2008) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-007-0279-8 · Cited by 279
Rumination and anxiety mediate the effect of loneliness on depressed mood and sleep quality in college students.
Zawadzki, M. J., Graham, J. E., & Gerin, W. (2013) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0029007 · Cited by 224
A systematic review of loneliness and smoking: small effects, big implications
Dyal, S. R., & Valente, T. W. (2015) · Substance Use & Misuse · doi:10.3109/10826084.2015.1027933 · Cited by 187
Sociodemographic and Health-Related Risks for Loneliness and Outcome Differences by Loneliness Status in a Sample of U.S. Older Adults
Theeke, L. A. (2010) · Research in Gerontological Nursing · doi:10.3928/19404921-20091103-99 · Cited by 186
Sleeping with one eye open: loneliness and sleep quality in young adults
Matthews, T., Danese, A., Gregory, A. M., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., & Arseneault, L. (2017) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291717000629 · Cited by 167
Roles of Oxytocin Neurones in the Control of Stress, Energy Metabolism, and Social Behaviour
Onaka, T., Takayanagi, Y., & Yoshida, M. (2012) · Journal of Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2826.2012.02300.x · Cited by 123
Social network type and health-related behaviors: Evidence from an American national survey
Shiovitz-Ezra, S., & Litwin, H. (2012) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.04.031 · Cited by 115
A randomized controlled trial of a tailored group smoking cessation intervention for HIV-infected smokers
Moadel, A. B., Bernstein, S. L., Mermelstein, R. J., Arnsten, J. H., Dolce, E. H., & Shuter, J. (2012) · JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes · doi:10.1097/qai.0b013e3182645679 · Cited by 107
Loneliness is associated with an increased risk of sedentary life in older Israelis
Netz, Y., Goldsmith, R., Shimony, T., Arnon, M., & Zeev, A. (2013) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2012.715140 · Cited by 58
Social isolation and physical inactivity in older US adults: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Reed, S. B., Crespo, C. J., Harvey, W., & Andersen, R. E. (2011) · European Journal of Sport Science · doi:10.1080/17461391.2010.521585 · Cited by 38
Psychosocial variables and self-rated health in young adult obese women
Smith, M. J., Theeke, L., Culp, S., Clark, K., & Pinto, S. (2014) · Applied Nursing Research · doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2013.11.004 · Cited by 19

Authors: Lauder, W., Mummery, K., Jones, M., & Caperchione, C.
Affiliations: University of Dundee (GB)
Central Queensland University (AU)
Brunel University of London (GB)
Corresponding author: Lauder, William
ORCID: Jones, Martyn
Caperchione, Cristina
Venue: Psychology, Health & Medicine
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2006-05
Volume: 11
Issue: 2
Pages: 233-245
ISSN: 1354-8506 (ISSN-L)
1465-3966
DOI: 10.1080/13548500500266607
OpenAlex: W2053499671
Cited by: 349
References: 11
Citations by year: 2026: 8 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 20
FWCI: 6.03
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
figshare.com
Licence: cc-by
Locations: Psychology Health & Medicine (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Discovery Research Portal (University of Dundee) (submittedVersion)
Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics: Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Health and Lifestyle Studies
Keywords: loneliness, health behavior, smoking, overweight, body mass index, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, attitudes toward physical activity, social isolation, health beliefs, excess morbidity
MeSH terms: Adult, Coronary Disease, Female, Cardiac Surgical Procedures, Humans, Loneliness, Male, Middle Aged, Motor Activity, Obesity, Pilot Projects, Population Surveillance, Postoperative Period, Surveys and Questionnaires, Smoking, Social Behavior, Social Isolation, Health Behavior, Body Mass Index

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

A comparison of health behaviours in lonely and non-lonely populations

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Metadata

Record

About these checks