Table 1 The four types of social isolation question and the scoring criteria for the composite social isolation score
Items | Questions | Answers | Scoring | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Score of 0 if: | Score of 1 if: | Score of 2 if | |||
Face-to-face contact with co-inhabitants | How many people do you spend time with on a regular basis (at least once a month; do not include phone/mail conversations; excluding the workplace; including those who lived together)? | “≥ 3 people”, “< 3 people,” and “Live alone” | ≥ 3 people | < 3 people | Live alone |
Face-to-face contact with non-co-inhabitants | How often do you see any of your friends or relatives (do not include phone/mail conversations; excluding those who lived together)? | “≥1 time/month”, “< 1 time/month,” and “No such contact” | ≥ 1 time /month | < 1 time/month | No such contact |
Non-face-to-face contact (by telephone/mail) | Do you have any relatives or friends you don't often see but keep in contact with by phone or letter? | “≥1 time/month,” “< 1 time/month,” and “No such contact” | ≥ 1 time /month | < 1 time/month | No such contact |
Club/organization contact | How often do you join in activities of the GHHARE or other organizations? | “≥1 time/month” and “< 1 time/month” | ≥ 1 time /month | < 1 time/month | NA |
Composite score: sum of scores | 0~7 | ||||