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Background With the global increase in the number of older adults and single-person households, attention is increasingly being directed toward older adults living alone as a vulnerable population in public health. These individuals are particularly susceptible to deficiencies in social capital, one of the key social determinants of health. However, research on the relationship between social capital and oral health among older adults living alone remains limited. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the factors associated with oral health in this population, with a specific focus on social capital. Methods This study analyzed data from the Korean Community Health Survey, 2023, focusing on 21,677 older adults aged 65 and over living alone. The dependent variable was subjective oral health level, while independent variables included social capital factors such as trust, reciprocity, social network, and social participation. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between social capital and subjective oral health levels, with results presented as odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results Older adults aged 65 and over living alone were found to be particularly vulnerable to poor subjective oral health, especially those with older age, lower educational attainment, lower income levels, lack of economic activity, and residence in rural areas. Among the social capital variables, the analysis showed that individuals without reciprocity had 1.30 times higher odds of worse subjective oral health compared to those with reciprocity (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.18–1.42). Similarly, individuals without social participation had 1.31 times higher odds of worse subjective oral health compared to those with social participation (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.21–1.42). Conclusions Social capital is significantly associated with the subjective oral health levels of older adults aged 65 and over living alone. This emphasizes the importance of enhancing social capital to mitigate oral health inequalities among socially vulnerable older adults living alone.

Background Health-related physical fitness among rural older adults is a global public health problem. Living alone is the predominant residential manner for older rural residents of China. How to promote the health-related physical fitness of rural older adults remains unclear. Objective This program aims to construct a multi-component exercise (MCE) training program based on the trans-theoretical model (TTM) and to assess its initial impact on health-related physical fitness among rural older adults living alone. Methods In a randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded, parallel-arm trial in Zhejiang, China, participants will enroll 72 rural older adults living alone (intervention group = 36, control group = 36) from two rural communities. The intervention group will receive 26 weeks of multi-component exercise training based on the trans-theoretical model (TTM-MCE), and the control group will receive exercise health education. Using health-related physical fitness measurement scales, exercise benefit and barriers scales, and various functional assessments. Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline (T0), 14 weeks (T1), 18 weeks (T2), and 26 weeks (T3) post-intervention. Discussion This manuscript is the first to discuss the health-related physical fitness of older adults living alone in rural China as the research point and discusses the research design paradigm, theoretical framework, and intervention content. The study protocol combined the trans-theoretical model with multi-component exercise to develop a multi-component exercise intervention program based on the health-related physical fitness of older adults living alone in rural areas. The specific application of the trans-theoretical model in implementing multi-component exercise programs provides scientific guidance for the practical implementation of these programs among older adults living alone in rural areas. Trial registration ChiCTR240008337, 04/23/2024.

The current study explored the mechanism of self-concealment on perceived social support among youth living alone and tried to clarify the two mediating variables, which are “psychological needs met through internet gratification” and “social self-esteem”, by using the Self-Concealment Scale, the Psychological Needs met through Internet Gratification Scale, the Texas Social Behavior Inventory and the Perceived Social Support Scale. Four hundred thirty-three working youth living alone who have lived alone or shared no emotional intersection with others were chosen as participants in this study. The results showed that: (1) the correlation between self-concealment, perceived social support, psychological needs met via internet gratification and social self-esteem was significant; (2) self-concealment positively predicted perceived social support; (3) self-concealment indirectly predicted perceived social support through the chain mediating effect of “psychological needs met via internet gratification” and “social self-esteem”. These results indicated that the self-concealment of youth living alone had a predictive effect on the perceived social support. The mechanisms of this effect included the direct effect of self-concealment and indirect effect through “psychological needs met via internet gratification” and “social self-esteem”.

In South Korea, the number of older adults living alone is rapidly increasing with the growth of the ageing population. Although there is some evidence of a link between financial strain and depression in this population, there is limited empirical evidence on the relationship between food insecurity and depression in older adults living alone despite the fact that they have a high prevalence of food insecurity and tend to seek food assistance. This study aims to investigate whether food insecurity explains depressive symptoms in Korean older adults living alone. We employed data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study collected from a large-scale national sample in South Korea. Our sample consisted of 815 older adults aged 65 or older who lived alone. Conducting ordinary least square regression analyses, we tested the main effect of food insecurity on depression and the interaction effect of food insecurity and low income. We found that the relationship between food insecurity and depressive symptoms differed by low-income status (b = 6.27, p = 0.047). The association was significant only in the low-income group (b = 1.37, p = 0.04). These findings suggest that protecting access to food may be a promising strategy to lessen depressive symptoms associated with financial strain among older adults living alone.

Fraud has been steadily increasing in South Korea, with technological advancements in criminal techniques rendering older adults particularly vulnerable. Over the past 5 years, the number of reported fraud victims aged 60 and above has risen by 1.6 times. Given the difficulty of recovering assets lost to fraud, such crimes pose a significant threat to the social and economic security of older adults, with potential repercussions for both physical and mental health, including elevated suicide risk. This study investigated the contribution of fraud to suicide among the older adult population in South Korea, with particular attention to those living alone. Using open data from the National Police Agency (2018–2020) on fraud incidents, matched with demographic statistics from the National Statistical Office, we conducted hierarchical multiple regression analyses. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between fraud victimization and suicide rates among older adults. Moreover, fraud targeting older adults living alone exhibited a distinct and significant effect on suicide rates in this population. These findings highlight fraud as a critical public health issue that drives suicidal tendencies among older adults. We recommend strengthening older adults’ capacity for self-protection—particularly in electronic financial transactions—and establishing a private crime damage restoration network to provide comprehensive economic and psychological support for those affected.

Knowledge on the long-term User Experience (UX) of older adults in using Home-based Intelligent Care System (HICS) is limited, even though it is imperative for older adults’ continuous use of HICS to promote their quality of life. This study aims to investigate the long-term User Experience (UX) of older adults in using Home-based Intelligent Care System (HICS), and to understand how its elements change over time and which system attributes cause these changes. Based on the Change-oriented Analysis of the Relationship between Product and User (CORPUS), the 23 older adults living alone who used the same HICS for half a year or more were interviewed through Focus Group. Conventional qualitative Content Analysis was adopted to analyze the interview data. A two-stage model of the older adults’ long-term UX was established. In Orientation stage, UX elements mainly included Usability Experience, Affect Experience, and Social Value Experience. In the Incorporation stage, there were only Usability Experience and Social Value Experience. The system attributes causing these UX elements were discussed. This study is a supplement to researches in the field of home-based senior care that only discussed the effect of HICS from static perspective, and also riches the researches of the Human-Computer Interaction field that mostly focused on the young users.

Objective: As a major hot topic of current research, living alone is highly exploratory and strongly influences older adults. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis to obtain structural and significant insights into the characteristics of living alone for older adults and to identify the latest research frontiers and hot topics. Methods: We identified articles published between 2003 and 2022 from the Web of Science Core Collection database. We used VOSviewer software to map and visualize the publications. Results: We included a total of 1880 publications in our analysis. The US and China had the most output (418 and 226 papers, respectively) to this field. “Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review” by Holt-Lunstad J et al, published in Perspectives on Psychological Science in 2015, is the most cited paper with 2867 and has played an important role in guiding the development of this field. Conclusions: Research papers were published mainly in the geriatrics-gerontology category. Loneliness and social isolation were recognized as the focus of research on living alone for older adults.

This aim of this study was to describe the association between shopping difficulty and food accessibility for elderly people living alone in Japan. A cross-sectoral, multilevel survey was designed to measure shopping difficulty from a food accessibility perspective. The questionnaire was distributed by mail. The sample was drawn from seven towns and cities across Japan. A geographic information system was used to select the sample: it identified the proximity of elderly people living alone to a supermarket. In total, 2,028 elderly people (725 men and 1,303 women) responded to the questionnaire. The binary dependent variables were shopping is easy/shopping is difficult. A logistic regression analysis adjusting for age and area of residence and using stepwise variable analyses was performed. The response rate was 58.6%. Overall, 14.6% of elderly men and 21.7% of elderly women consider shopping difficult. The stepwise logistic analysis showed that the food accessibility factors strongly related to shopping difficulty are infrequent car use (women: OR = 6.97), walking difficulties (men: OR = 2.81, women: OR = 3.48), poor eyesight (men: OR = 2.26, women: OR = 1.75), not cooking lunch by oneself (men: OR = 1.63, women: OR = 1.72), not having anyone to help with food shopping (women: OR = 1.45) and living over 1 km away from a supermarket (men: OR = 2.30, women: OR = 2.97). The study concludes that elderly people's assessment of shopping difficulty is related to their food accessibility. Important food accessibility aspects include car or motorbike ownership, walking continuously for 1 km, poor eyesight, and having cooking skills and having someone to help with shopping. These physical activity restrictions have a greater influence on shopping difficulty than do either income or proximity to a supermarket.

Older adults in Japan traditionally rely on family members for care. However, the growing number of older people living alone has increased staff burden in community general support centers (CGSCs), which provide care for older people in Japan. This study aimed to identify factors linked to turnover intention among CGSC staff. Of 1002 staff invited to participate, 283 completed a survey (response rate: 28.2%). Logistic regression analysis of 183 valid questionnaires examined demographic, job-related, and attitudinal factors associated with turnover intention. The results showed that the perceived difficulty of supporting older adults living alone was the main predictor of turnover intention. Staff reporting high perceived difficulty levels were more likely to consider leaving. Negative attitudes toward supporting this population also increased turnover risk. These findings highlight a pressing need for targeted interventions to strengthen the ability of CGSC staff to manage the challenges of caring for isolated older individuals. Addressing staff perceptions and providing essential training and resources could reduce turnover rates and increase the quality of care for this vulnerable group.