Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28515187›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2017

Reducing social isolation and loneliness in older people: a systematic review protocol.

Filipa Landeiro, Paige Barrows, Ellen Nuttall Musson, Alastair M Gray, José Leal

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
70citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

70 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Interventions to identify and manage depression delivered by 'nontraditional' providers to community-dwelling older adults: A realist review.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022
    Pooled it
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  6. Astrocyte TrkB.T1 Deficiency Disrupts Glutamatergic Synaptogenesis and Astrocyte-Synapse Interactions.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026
    Article
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  11. The societal cost of 'unwanted' loneliness in Spain.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2025
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Defining the Role of the Fire and Rescue Service in Mental Health Support for Older Adults: A Qualitative Study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024
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10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Filipa LandeiroHealth Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Paige BarrowsHealth Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Ellen Nuttall MussonHealth Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Alastair M GrayHealth Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0239-7278
José LealHealth Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7870-6730

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSocial isolation and loneliness affect approximately one-third to one-half of the elderly population and have a negative impact on their physical and mental health. Group-based interventions where facilitators are well trained and where the elderly are actively engaged in their development seem to be more effective, but conclusions have been limited by weak study designs. We aim to conduct a systematic review to assess the effectiveness of health promotion interventions on social isolation or loneliness in older people. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A systematic review was conducted in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, LILACS, OpenGrey and the Cochrane Library on peer-reviewed studies and doctoral theses published between 1995 and 2016 evaluating the impact of health promotion interventions on social isolation and/or loneliness for individuals aged 60 and over. Two reviewers will independently assess each study for inclusion and disagreements will be resolved by a third reviewer. Data will be extracted using a predefined pro forma following best practice. Study quality will be assessed with the Effective Public Health Practice Project quality assessment tool. A narrative synthesis of all studies will be presented by type of outcome (social isolation or loneliness) and type of intervention. If feasible, the effectiveness data will be synthesised using appropriate statistical techniques. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review is exempt from ethics approval because the work is carried out on published documents. The findings of the review will be disseminated in a related peer-reviewed journal and presented at conferences. They will also contribute to a DPhil thesis. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016039650.

Indexed as

Mental HealthAgedAgingHealth PromotionHumansLonelinessResearch DesignSocial IsolationSystematic Reviews as Topicelderlyinterventionlonelinessoldersocial isolationsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID28515187
PMCPMC5623425

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.