By Paul Cann Dec. 6, 2023

Current global estimates suggest that 1 in 4 older adults experience social isolation, and 5 to 15 percent of adolescents experience loneliness. Weak social connections cause a higher risk of early death; these are also linked to anxiety, depression, suicide, dementia, and the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Weak social connections represent an equivalent health risk to smoking and obesity.

While many consider this rise in loneliness to be largely a social problem, communities around the world are applying innovative public health approaches to connecting people not only to each other but to health professionals and systems that can provide much-needed support.

How Communities Around the World Are Connecting Social Isolation and Health