The Measuring Loneliness (INTERACT) study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Measuring Loneliness (INTERACT) study
IRAS ID
305483
Contact name
Austen El-Osta
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The public health implications of social isolation and loneliness (SI&L) are well documented. Feeling socially isolated or lonely has been associated with physical and mental health impacts, including increased cardiovascular disease risk (4) and personality disorders like schizophrenia (5). Beyond the individual, the impact of SI&L has wider economic and societal implications. Attempts and previous questionnaires have been conducted to assess knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (KAP) towards SI&L, though it seems that the incidence of SI&L is increasing. Furthermore, little is known about the prevalence and state of SI&L in localities within the UK (beyond the modelling work undertaken by Age UK which only explored rates of SI&L in the elderly population).
We would therefore like to investigate the prevalence of social isolation & loneliness (SI&L) in the community setting across England, with a specific focus on the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBH&F) as a case study. We will do this using a simple online tool to measure loneliness using the UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale & the Direct Measure of Loneliness. We will also look to identify possible interventions that could help tackle SI&L. The findings of this research are expected to be scalable and generalisable- thus largely applicable to other local settings in England. The results of the study will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EE/0272
Date of REC Opinion
1 Feb 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion