Social connection and mortality in UK Biobank: a prospective cohort analysis

Table 5 Models of association between structural component measures and all-cause and CVD mortality

Outcome	Measure	Number	Deaths (%)	HR	LCI	UCI
All-cause mortality	*Frequency of friends and family visits*
	Daily	53,581	4548 (8.5%)	1 (ref)
	2–4 times a week	141,881	10,491 (7.4%)	0.98	0.95	1.02
	Weekly	163,720	10,693 (6.5%)	0.98	0.95	1.02
	Monthly	61,384	4021 (6.6%)	1.02	0.98	1.07
	Once every 3 months	30,026	2327 (7.7%)	1.11	1.05	1.17
	Never	7554	1055 (14.0%)	1.39	1.30	1.49
	*Engages in weekly group activity*
	Yes	320,345	22,047 (6.9%)	1 (ref)
	No	137,801	11,088 (8.0%)	1.13	1.11	1.16
	*Lives alone*
	No	373,674	24,228 (6.5%)	1 (ref)
	Yes	84,472	8907 (10.5%)	1.25	1.22	1.29
	*Structural isolation*^a
	No	242,570	14,952 (6.2%)	1 (ref)	–	–
	Yes	215,576	18,183 (8.4%)	1.23	1.20	1.26
CVD mortality	Frequency of friends and family visits
	Daily	53,581	694 (1.3%)	1 (ref)
	2–4 times a week	141,881	1524 (1.1%)	0.95	0.86	1.04
	Weekly	163,720	1614 (1.0%)	0.95	0.87	1.04
	Monthly	61,384	627 (1.0%)	0.99	0.89	1.11
	Once every 3 months	30,026	418 (1.4%)	1.16	1.03	1.32
	Never	7554	235 (3.1%)	1.53	1.32	1.78
	Engages in weekly group activity
	No	320,345	3367 (1.1%)	1 (ref)
	Yes	137,801	1745 (1.3%)	1.10	1.04	1.17
	Lives alone
	No	373,674	3547 (0.9%)	1 (ref)
	Yes	84,472	1565 (1.9%)	1.48	1.38	1.57
	*Structural isolation*^a
	No	242,570	2139 (0.9%)	1 (ref)	–	–
	Yes	215,576	2973 (1.4%)	1.35	1.28	1.43

Models adjusted for sex; ethnicity; Townsend index; month of assessment; smoking; alcohol; physical activity; BMI; long-term condition count; new dichotomous loneliness variable—never or almost never able to confide in someone close OR often feeling lonely; and mutually for frequency of friend and family visits, weekly group activity, and living alone
HR hazard ratio, LCI lower confidence interval, UCI upper confidence interval
^aStructural isolation defined as friends and family visits < monthly or no weekly group activity or living alone for which models were adjusted as above but without adjusting for frequency of friends and family visits, weekly group activity, or living alone

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