CNN
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Adults who live alone may be at higher risk of dying from cancer than those who live with others, a new study suggests, and the proportion of adults living alone is increasing in the United States.
The study, published Thursday in the journal Cancer, found that of 114,772 working-age adults living alone, 2.5% died of cancer during the study period. By comparison, the study found that of the 358,876 adults who lived with others, a much smaller proportion, 1.6%, died of cancer. Adults ages 18 to 64 were enrolled in the study, and researchers found the strongest association among adults ages 45 to 64.
“We found that working adults who lived alone had a 1.32 times higher risk of dying from cancer compared to adults who lived with others,” said the study’s authors and director of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta. said Dr. Farhad Islami, Senior Scientific Director of Cancer Disparities Research. . This suggests that adults who live alone have an approximately 32% higher risk of dying from cancer.
“Living alone is only one component of social isolation and may not include other components such as social networks and participation in social activities. However, it must also be said that living alone is still an important measure. “No,” he said. “This is critical as we look to find ways to reduce the negative effects of living alone and social isolation, and reduce mortality rates in our growing population.”
The percentage of people living alone in the United States has been rising for decades. US Census Bureau data This means that the proportion of single-person households in the United States has more than doubled from 1960, when 13%, or about 7 million households, were single-person households, to 29%, or about 38 million households, by 2022. is shown.
Researchers from the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analyzed data on more than 470,000 adults from 1998 to 2019. National health interview survey And that National death index, took a closer look at how many adults lived alone versus with others, and how many died from cancer. The study did not control for cancer stage at diagnosis, specific cancer type, or treatment plan.
Adults between the ages of 18 and 64 at the time of study entry were followed for up to 22 years from study entry to December 31, 2019. Approximately 24% of them lived alone.
The researchers also found that black households had more educated adults than white, Asian, and Hispanic households, younger and older adults had more middle-aged adults, and women had more educated adults than men. It also pointed out that a higher proportion of those living in single-person households than adults who received the test. Educational level is low.
However, this study found that living alone was associated with cancer mortality among non-Hispanic white adults and adults with higher education levels, even after accounting for differences in a wide range of sociodemographic, behavioral, and health characteristics. The relationship continued.
“Our findings show that stronger social support exists in communities of racial minority groups and people of low socio-economic status, which may explain the association between living alone and cancer mortality in this group. “The reasons for these differences require further research,” Islam said.
The study found that compared to adults living with others, adults living alone were more likely to have fair or poor self-reported health, activity limitations, severe psychological distress, severe obesity, smoking, Or they are more likely to drink alcohol.
“These findings highlight the importance of addressing living alone in the general population and among cancer survivors, and identify the mechanisms underlying this association, as well as interventions to reduce the negative effects of living alone and social isolation.” “Further research is needed to find out,” the researchers wrote in their paper. study.
Loneliness and loneliness are not the same
This is not the first time a study has found that living alone is associated with increased health risks. Another study previously found that living alone may be associated with symptoms such as: High risk of being diagnosed with canceror any cause of death.
In May, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued recommendations describing loneliness and social isolation as an epidemic, but that social connections can help and strengthen communities’ resilience while increasing Acts as a buffer against health risks.
However, living alone does not necessarily mean loneliness or isolation.
Kathryn Milbury, associate professor of behavioral sciences at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, who was not involved in the new study, said that the precise underlying explanation for the link between living alone and cancer death is important. further research is needed to identify the mechanisms underlying this. Email.
“Living with others allows for easier human contact. If you are healthy, living alone may be less harmful. People dealing with side effects may not have the energy to reach out to others, changes in appearance may make it uncomfortable to go to public places, or physical function may be impaired and social skills may be reduced. “Therefore, people who live alone may be more susceptible to social isolation,” Milberry said in an email.
“The biological mechanisms of social isolation are not fully understood. However, humans are social beings, and isolation creates a biological stress state that, when experienced chronically, can have negative health effects. ,” Milberry said. “Another mechanism I think has to do with relationships with others, not only benefiting from their presence, but also receiving their support, care, and advocacy.”
