ArticleJournal of epidemiology2021
Association of Eating Alone With Depression Among Older Adults Living Alone: Role of Poor Social Networks.
Article in Journal of epidemiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association of communal vs. solitary dining on nutritional intake and depression risk in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Association between eating alone and motor function among community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Impact of eating alone and nutrient intake on psychological distress among older Japanese adults: A cross-sectional study.Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Article
- Messenger Use and Video Calls as Correlates of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: Results From the Corona Health App Study of German Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Associations between eating alone, its transition and depressive symptoms among Chinese middle-aged and older adults: evidence from two national cohorts.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Characterizing Healthy Dietary Practices in Japan: Insights from a 2024 Nationwide Survey and Cluster Analysis.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Article
- The relationship between living alone or not and depressive symptoms in older adults: a parallel mediation effect of sleep quality and anxiety.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- The Risk for Loneliness and Major Depression among Solo Agers.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2023Article
- Eating alone and weight change in community-dwelling older adults during the coronavirus pandemic: A longitudinal study.Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) · 2022Article
- Relationship between Eating Alone and Poor Appetite Using the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Interaction of Eating Status and Dietary Variety on Incident Functional Disability among Older Japanese Adults.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2022Article
- Associations among Solo Dining, Self-Determined Solitude, and Depression in South Korean University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesEating alone is associated with an increased risk of depression symptoms. This association may be confounded by poor social networks. The present study aimed to determine the role of poor social networks in the association of eating alone with depression symptoms, focusing on cohabitation status.
methodsSeven hundred and ten community-dwelling older adults were categorized according to their eating style and social network size, evaluated using an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale, with poor social network size (defined as the lowest quartile). Living arrangements and depression symptoms, detected using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, were also assessed.
resultsA mixed-design two-way analysis of covariance (eating style and social network size factors) for the depression scale score, adjusted by covariates, yielded significant effects of social network size and eating style without interaction. Greater depression scores were observed in eating alone and poor social network size. Analysis of participants living with others showed the same results. However, among older adults living alone, only a significant main effect of social network size was observed; poor social network size resulted in greater depression scores irrespective of eating style.
conclusionsPoor social network size, and not eating alone, was associated with greater depression symptoms among older adults living alone, whereas both factors may increase depression symptoms among older adults living with others. Poor social network size may show a stronger influence on depression than eating alone in older adults living alone; thus, social network size is an important health indicator.
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