Living Alone Tied to Higher Risk for Cancer Death

THURSDAY, Nov. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Adults living alone have a higher risk for cancer death versus those living with others, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in Cancer. 

Hyunjung Lee, Ph.D., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the association between living alone and cancer mortality by sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The analysis included pooled data for 473,648 adults (aged 18 to 64 years) participating in the National Health Interview Survey (1998 to 2019) linked to the National Death Index, with up to 22 years of follow-up. 

The researchers found that adults living alone had a higher risk for cancer death when adjusting for age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.32) and after additional adjustments for multiple sociodemographic characteristics and cancer risk factors (HR, 1.10), compared with adults living with others. Similar associations were seen in age-adjusted models stratified by sex, poverty level, and educational attainment, but the association was stronger among non-Hispanic White adults (HR, 1.33) than non-Hispanic Black adults (HR, 1.18). These associations persisted less strongly in fully adjusted models among men (HR, 1.13), women (HR, 1.09), non-Hispanic White adults (HR, 1.13), and adults with a college degree (HR, 1.22). 

“Findings in this study underscore the significance of addressing living alone in the general population and among cancer survivors and call for interventions to reduce adverse effects of living alone and social isolation,” Lee said in a statement. 

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