Greater recognition is needed among health professionals of the links between poor health and loneliness, it is claimed. According to a poll of 2,200, fewer than one in five has ever seen or heard information about loneliness as a health risk, reports the Daily Mail.
Andrew Barnett, of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, one of the organisers of The Campaign to End Loneliness, said: "We need to consider the practical...emotional and psychological implications of growing numbers of older people."
The World Health Organisation has rated loneliness as a higher risk to health than smoking and as great a risk as obesity. Researchers also say lack of social interaction increases the chances of suffering degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Published 02 February 2011, 06:16 IST